For the Ones You Change
by apenny12
Summary: *Sequel to For the Ones You Love* The group has found themselves held against their will in a boxcar within the 'sanctuary' of Terminus. The people of Terminus believe to have themselves a smooth operation going, but what they don't realize is that they have never met Rick Grimes and his group. A caged animal does not make it tame... *Post season 4*
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** A nod to the genius Robert Kirkman for creating this wonderfully dark, post-apocalyptic world. I do not own or have rights to any of the characters/plot of this series. I'm simply a fan indulging in my post-apocalyptic fantasies.

**BIG THANK YOU TO** Nicole137137 for taking the time to send me edits for this chapter! You're wonderful!

It had been a full day since they had been locked up in the railway car, judging by the position of the sun. Glenn, Maggie, and the rest had been there approximately a full day, maybe two at the most, before Rick's group had waltzed into the car.

They hadn't been brought food or water, but none of them expected as much. Glenn had said they didn't get anything to eat or drink the first twenty-four hours either. The meager meal they did receive consisted of a little bread, a bottle of water for them all to share, and some meat.

Glenn pointed out that no one had been interested in the charred, grilled flesh.

Rick had taken a great interest in getting to know Abraham, Rosita, Eugene, and Tara. Beth assumed the several hours he had spent listening to their backgrounds was to assess their skills; figure out where they best fit into the group.

Daryl had become Rick's shadow, talking with him privately at the end of the boxcar, and Beth hoped they were coming up with a plan. The longer they stayed in the rail car, the weaker they got, and the less chance they had of escaping.

"How'd you get out?" Maggie asked from where she sat next to Beth.

They hadn't spoken much. Beth had been getting to know their new friends, exploring the small space they were trapped in trying to conjure an escape route, and enjoying the fact that her sister was alive. They had mostly held hands and sat in silence, listening to what everyone else had to say.

"I got off the bus to try and find the kids who were missing. Lizzie, Mika, Judith, and some of the others weren't on the bus. I couldn't find 'em. I looked as much as I could, but I just…I didn't have time. Daryl and I ran into each other. We left together. Then we traveled together for'ah while," Beth kept her face passive, not wanting to alert her sister to any unnecessary explanations.

The past was the past. She had survived. She was with her sister now. Nothing of what happened was Daryl's fault. There was no reason to get bogged down by the details.

"And then what?" Maggie inquired.

Beth wasn't sure if Maggie was able to see through her or if she wasn't satisfied with her vague answer. She had hoped that she wasn't as much of an open book to people anymore. Then again, Maggie was her sister. She knew all of Beth's mannerisms. It was possible that she'd never be able to completely hide her pages from Maggie.

"We got separated. Herd ambushed us while we were in this…house. I'd hurt my ankle earlier that day so Daryl played bait while I got out. Then…we jus' got separated. I couldn't find him. Spent tha' winter in the utility closet of a sporting goods store I had found. Ended up comin' across his group when the weather warmed back up," Beth answered as honestly as she could. She omitted certain details, but there was no point in dwelling on what had happened.

"You spent the entire winter _alone_?" Maggie's grip had tightened so much that Beth's fingers were going numb.

The way her eyes danced between Beth's and the slight furrow of her brows were all signs that Maggie was trying very hard to control her emotions. Beth felt a sort of relief by Maggie's reaction. At least she could still read her sister as well as her sister read her. Of all the things that had changed that, at least, had remained.

"Yeah," Beth nodded.

Maggie sat very still. Beth felt like she was under a microscope. Then Maggie leaned over, letting go of her hand in the process, and hugged Beth. She heard a quiet sniffle by her ear and felt herself immediately tearing up. They hadn't been able to mourn their father together, and they didn't have the luxury of time to do so where they were at, but they could at least have a brief moment of weakness to appreciate what they had left.

"I'm so sorry I whadn't there. I _tried_ to find you. I got off the bus looking for you. I got separated from Glenn because I didn't make it back to the bus in time. When I found the bus, full ah' walkers, I became so determined with finding Glenn, that I jus' assumed you'd be with him. I assumed everyone would be with ' if I found Glenn, everything else would fall into place and be alright," Maggie inhaled a stuttering breath, "_I'm so sorry Bethy_."

At the nickname, tears spilled from Beth's eyes. The last time she'd heard that name, it had come from the worn, southern voice of her father. She wrapped her arms around Maggie, grasping at her over shirt, and hugged her fiercely. Beth blinked back more tears, looking around the cart to try and keep the second wave at bay, when she caught Daryl staring at her.

The look he gave her was so intense that she had to turn her sight elsewhere. Any other time she would have been curious as to why he was looking her over so intently, but right now, his hard gaze only made her feel frail. She had worked very hard to not only make herself physically stronger, but also more resilient mentally. She didn't want to feel weak anymore.

When Maggie pulled back, Beth gave her a genuine smile, "It's okay Mags. I'm here. You're here. We'll get out of this place and it'll just be our group again."

"When did you get so confident?" Maggie let out a breathy laugh, wiping her tear stained checks with the sleeves of her shirt.

Beth pondered on the question for a moment. Thinking back on everything she had been through since her days on their farm, Beth answered somberly, "Good people don't survive in this world anymore. Everyone had to change to make it this far."

"There are still good people Beth. You're a good person. Glenn, Rick, even Daryl," Maggie's words were an echo of Beth's own.

She looked over at Daryl, who had resumed his discussion with Rick, and a thoughtful smile shaped her lips, "The good ones don't survive."

Maggie must have sensed the knowledge behind Beth's words because she didn't comment any further on the subject. Instead, Beth felt Maggie's hand wrap around hers and received two firm presses around her palm. Beth looked down at the wooden floor she was sitting on and squeezed back.

'_Thank you for understanding._'

Beth hadn't talked to Daryl since their 'moment' before Glenn came out of the shadows of the rail car. She would catch him looking at her every so often, but he hadn't approached her. That was fine by her. She had no idea what she would say to him anyway.

"So you 'n the redneck?" An unfamiliar voice came from across where she sat.

"Pardon?" Beth looked over at the person who had spoken, not realizing she had been staring at Daryl talking with Rick and the muscular ginger; Abraham he had said his name was.

Rick had spent most of his time talking with Abraham. The muscular man had a military background, looked like he could pull his own weight, and was something of a strategist himself. All traits Rick and Daryl could appreciate.

"You and him?" The girl asked again, using her index finger to point between the two of them.

"Tara, wasn't it?" Beth asked with a friendly smile.

"Yeah," Tara blinked a few times, but didn't return the smile, instead looking down at her feet from where she leaned against the boxcar wall.

"Daryl and me...Daryl helped me get out of the prison. Taught me some basic survival skills. Thanks to him I've gotten pretty decent with a crossbow," Beth explained.

Tara nodded, keeping her eyes trained on the floorboards.

"I want to thank you…for helping Glenn. He means everything to my sister. The two of them…" Beth paused causing Tara to look up at her, "The group is my family now, but they're the only _real_ family I have left."

Beth was too tired to get choked up. Or maybe she was farther into the grieving process than she had originally thought. Then again, maybe she hadn't even started the process? She'd had a few cries, but nothing she felt was deserving of the loss of her father.

"You don't gotta' thank me. He helped me too. I was alone. I would've died if he hadn't let me come with him," Tara proclaimed.

"Even so," Beth looked over to where Maggie and Glenn were standing; listening to Rick, Daryl, and Abraham talk, "thanks."

"Yeah…sure…" Tara gave a quick smile, but said nothing more.

Beth awoke with a jerk. She remembered talking to Tara, then leaning her head back against the wall to rest her eyes for a moment, and then nothing. How long had she been asleep? She glanced around the boxcar, noticing the light had taken on a yellow-orange hue, but everyone was almost exactly where they had been before she had drifted off.

Daryl, Abraham, Daryl, the Hispanic girl, Rosita, and another stockily built man who she hadn't caught his name, were all sitting around Rick. All of them engrossed in their conversation spoken in tones so hushed not even Beth could hear them from where she sat. Glenn and Maggie had moved, sitting in the farthest part of the train car, while Michonne sat close enough to Rick to hear the discussion, but right next to Carl, and Tara still sat across from her. What she hadn't expected was Sasha and Bob to be sitting right next to her.

"How long have I been out?" She asked in a rough voice.

"Maybe an hour or two?" Sasha guesstimated.

"You were tired so we didn't want to wake you," Bob spoke up from the other side of Sasha, "but Rick and the group think they have a plan on how to get us out of here."

"Yeah?" Beth sat up, immediately regretting it.

"What's wrong?" Sasha asked, leaning up to grasp Beth's rigid shoulders.

"Daryl and I were runnin' with a group. They were after some guy. Turned out to be Rick. It was us or them," Beth didn't need to elaborate, "Daryl had two guys on him. I was trying to help and got myself smashed into a vehicle a couple'ah times."

Bob was now squatting in front of her, holding her chin in his hand, examining her eyes, "Have you had any trouble focusing, headache, double vision?"

"My head hurts. Things get a lil' fuzzy from time t'time, but I think that's more from sleep deprivation," Beth replied, struggling to conceal her discomfort.

"Have you lost consciousness?" He let go of her chin to rest his fingers against her wrist; checking her pulse.

"Yeah," Beth didn't see the point in tiptoeing around the subject.

"Sasha, help me get her up so I can check her ribs," Bob gestured.

Slowly, using Sasha for support, Beth got up to her knees. She grit her teeth, hissing every time she moved or tightened her torso, but never voiced the explicit words running through her head. By now Maggie was right behind Bob, hovering, and Daryl behind her. Beth didn't look at either of them. She was in too much pain to do anything but try and focus on what Bob had asked her to do; stand up. Finally getting to her feet, Beth turned and braced both hands against the wall, letting her head drop between her arms.

"Sasha, lift the back of her shirt up a bit," Bob instructed, now wanting to act too familiar with Beth.

Maggie's gasp was enough to let Beth know her back was _not_ a pretty sight, "What the hell _happened_ to you?"

Beth couldn't answer. It hurt to breath, making it impossible to speak, her head hurt, she felt dizzy, and she _really_ wanted to cry in pain.

"She said she got into a fight with some guys while trying to help Daryl," Sasha answered for her.

"_What?_" Maggie's voice sounded further away. Beth guessed she had probably turned around to bow up to Daryl.

"Whadn't like that. Group we were with was after this guy. We didn't know it was Rick. They were gonna' kill 'em," Daryl's voice sounded like music to her ears.

She was in so much pain that just hearing his voice was like a dose of medicine. She had come to realize she rather liked his voice, even before the prison fell, but in her current state, all she wanted was some Tylenol or Ibuprofen. Daryl's voice was the next best thing.

Bob poked and prodded at her ribs, and while it was uncomfortable, it didn't hurt as much as Beth had anticipated. Now that she was up and moving a bit, the initial pain had subsided. A dull ache still throbbed every time she breathed, but her head hurt more than her ribs.

"She's got some nasty bruising, but I don't think anything is fractured or broken," Bob stepped back, "Probably more stiff than anything. Her head is what worries me though. She has a pretty severe concussion. The kind that would have doctors keeping her in the hospital overnight…if we still had those."

Beth readjusted her shirt and turned around to lean against the wall, careful of her lower back, and faced the crowd that had gathered around them. She kept her eyes on Bob as he spoke, but risked a glance at Daryl who was already staring her down.

"So what do we do?" Maggie sounded somewhat panicked.

"Back in tha' day," Bob said with a bit of jive, "we could monitor her a bit better than now. There are several different ways to treat a concussion, none of which we can do now. Some doctors would say sleep is fine, others would say no sleep at all the first twenty-four hours, but she's gonna' need to rest."

"Get'on with it," Daryl motioned with his hand, clearly agitated.

"I say if you're tired, sleep," Bob spoke directly to Beth, "and we'll make sure someone wakes you up every half an hour, or what we can guess to be half an hour, to check your symptoms. The first twenty-four hours are the most crucial, but since you haven't slept in those twenty-four hours the early danger has already passed. Just have to make sure the symptoms don't get worse."

"'Kay," Beth nodded.

"Well," Rick spoke up from behind Daryl, "since we're already gathered together it's time we discuss our plan."

Carl came to stand by Beth. She looked down to him and smiled, relieved they were finally going to get things underway. They had been there too long already. The others had been there longer, but Beth felt like their time was drawing near. It was a gut feeling and she had learned to _always_ trust when she felt a hunch.

"We've been going over our options. We thought of trying to overpower whoever brought us food, but the likelihood of it being a single member or that there won't be snipers, prepared for such an event, on the roof is slim. The ventilation hole has been sealed so there's no gettin' out that way. We could try to get the door to jump the rail it's attached to, compromisin' the lock on the outside, but that would require tools we don't have," Rick explained, "That's when Eugene here brought somethin' to our attention."

Eugene, the larger man with an impressive eighty's style mullet, nodded to Rick, "The floor of this rail car is comprised of wood. Most likely oak for its durability. We're lookin' at each plank being approximately ten inches wide, two inches thick, running the width of an estimated nine and a half feet."

Beth suddenly felt like she was back in high school listening to a lecture. Eugene's voice was monotone, but the way he spoke the facts so confidently made her wonder what his profession was _before_.

"Due to the amount of time this car has been untreated and the inclinations of Georgia's rainy season through the months of January through March, there is a high probability of wood decay due to the exposed cracks that would allow rain to settle on top of the planks," Eugene finished, standing awkwardly in place.

"Sooo…basically you're sayin' there's a chance that we can pry up the floor and sneak out from underneath the train car?" Glenn summarized.

"Theoretically. Yes," Eugene amended, "If we were somehow able chip away the wood around the bolts, with enough force, the possibility of up-heaving the boards is in the ninetieth percentile."

"Right…so…we pry up the boards and it's a straight drop to the ground?" Glenn inquired.

Everyone looked down between their feet at the cracks between the floorboards. Much to Beth's relief, a sliver of gravel and railway track could be seen between the wooden planks.

"How many boards we talkin'?" Daryl's voice sounded gruff. Beth couldn't see his face from where he was staring at the floor, his hand stroking his beard in thought, but she could tell by the way he was carrying himself that he was exhausted.

"I'd say two…three to accommodate all of us," Rick's response somber, "So long as we get one pried up, the other two should follow with relative ease."

"So I guess the next question is how are we supposed to chip away the wood?" Sasha asked from the other side of Beth, "none of us got to keep our weapons."

Rick smirked as he pulled of his coat, "Perk of bein' a cop was knowin' the most inconspicuous places to hide a weapon. It insured that we'd check those places too."

Beth leaned forward so she could watch Rick as he laid his coat on the ground. His hands traced the hem of his coat until he apparently found what he was looking for. When his hand disappeared into an aftermarket slit made in the mid-section of the interior lining, she smiled. His hand soon reappeared and he was holding a medium sized pocket knife. Beth could have cried at his genius.

"I'll be Got' damned," Daryl laughed, patting Rick on the shoulder.

Beth felt like her chest was about to burst in the many emotions coursing through her; excitement, relief, happiness, but mostly determination. They had a plan, it was simple, and they could execute it. She just hoped they had the time to do so. They'd all die before they let anyone be taken from the train car, but the prospect of dying versus escaping Terminus…she just prayed they had enough time.

"So if they hold to the same schedule as they did when Glenn's group arrived, a bit of food and water every forty-eight hours, we can expect rations as some point in the near future," Rick suggested from where he knelt on the floor, "So I say we have someone on lookout, keeping an eye out for anyone approaching the car from the crack in the door. Meanwhile we have someone chippin' away at the wood. We all take shifts so not one person wears themselves out. We make a run for the fence in the middle of the night. I have guns buried in a bag just over the fence. We'll decide our next course of action once we're all out of this car."

"What about those guys who were behind the fence when we got cornered here?" Carl pointed out.  
"You think they'd still be there?" Rick asked looking around the group.

"Could be," Daryl shrugged his shoulders.  
"Then Michonne will scout ahead. She's the hardest to detect and can get over and back with the most ease," Rick affirmed.

"Is that a pun at the color of my skin?" Michonne's facial expression gave away nothing.

Rick must have been able to read her regardless because he paused, stared up at her for a moment, and then shook his head and laughed, "I was actually referring to your skills in the art'ah stealth."

"Mmm hmm…" Michonne was smiling now.

"I'll start with the wood," Abraham stepped forward and took the knife from Rick.

"I'll take first watch," Rosita volunteered, the first time Beth had ever heard her voice.

"This might actually work," Sasha looked up to Bob who nodded in reply.

The obvious relief that everyone felt filled the boxcar. Beth looked to Maggie, Glenn, down to Carl beside her, and then to Daryl. When he looked up at her, the smile she gave him must have translated to how she felt, because for the first time in forever, Daryl smiled back.

**A/N: **Welcome to the second segment of my trilogy! For those of you who are new I also have a drabble series that I will update from time to time. It's to bridge the gap between the two episodes "Still" and "Alone." There were some plot holes in how Daryl and Beth got so close between episodes and I felt a drabble series with little tidbits about their adventures would be the perfect solution to how Daryl and Beth got from season 4 to my version of season 5!

For my returning readers, WELCOME BACK! I truly appreciate the support and hope part two satisfies you as much as part 1! I'm aiming to upload a chapter a week, more if I have more downtime, but I think this is a fair schedule. Being a single mom of a 4 and 2 year old, I don't have ALL the time in the world to write!

Give me some feedback and let me know your thoughts! I love hearing from my readers! Reviews let me know you're enjoying the read and encourage me to keep going!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Guys….I just realized I had an utter, epic fail throughout For the Ones You Love. : ( I had several places that there were supposed to have 'paragraph breaks' that transitioned to a new scene. I was using four asterisks lined together in between paragraphs and apparently fanfiction doesn't allow those. So I had scenes running together with no clear transition…I'm so sorry. I've fixed it now though! All transitions will be clearly marked using "…". I'm so sorry for any confusion this caused as I literally just saw this while I was going back and editing the story. Thanks for understanding!

Also...I now have a BETA. Nicole137137 (YOU ARE AWESOME) has graciously volunteered to edit my chapters before I post them. We're both human beings so please don't stroke out on us if we miss an error or two! : 3

To my guest reviews, I can't send you a private message expressing my gratitude, but seriously...THANK YOU! To everyone who has left a review on any of my three Daryl x Beth stories...THANK YOU! All of you guys are amazing! You have _all_ definitely kept me inspired to keep writing! XOXO Thanks again for all the support and enjoy the new chapter! : )

…

The steady thumping of the small, dull blade against softened wood had acted as a sort of white noise for Beth. She felt her eyes drooping and shook her head to fight off her weariness. She still felt a throbbing pain in the back of her head, but it had begun to subside as the day wore on.

"If yer' tired you should get some rest," Beth heard shuffling beside her followed by the sound of someone sliding down the wall to sit on the floor.

She forced her eyes open, recognizing the voice, and found Daryl sitting with his elbow propped up on his knees, picking at his fingers. His hands hung limply off his knees, giving the appearance that he was completely relaxed, but the sharpness of his eyes and the taunt lining of his shoulders made Beth aware that it was quite the opposite. He was on edge. She couldn't help feeling a sudden anxiety from his demeanor.

"I'm not gonna' sleep. Not when everyone else is so keyed up. We've gotta' be ready in case somethin' happens," Beth whispered.

Daryl nodded, glancing at her a few times from the corner of his eyes, but made no further comment.

These were the times she appreciated Daryl's awkwardness. He wasn't going to bring up the what might or might not have been a moment before Glenn made his presence known, therefore she felt no discomfort in an upcoming confrontation on the matter. She could just pretend is was due to adrenaline induced circumstances and move on. No harm done to their friendship.

She was also grateful that he knew her well enough to understand when to argue with her and when she was doing what she felt was right. Maggie would've immediately fired back with how Beth 'needed her rest' while Daryl accepted her decisions. Maggie was her sister, and sister's looked out for each other, but Beth didn't need to be coddled.

"You okay?" Beth asked, running her eyes over his wounds.

"Yeah. Used t'fightin'. I've had worse. Whatta' 'bout you?" Daryl glanced at her.

"I'm okay," Beth sighed, dropping her head back against the wall and closing her eyes.

"Uh huh, an'_ the sun rises in tha' west__,"_ Daryl huffed.

Beth couldn't stifle her giggle, "What's _that_ supposed t'mean?"

"Means exactly what you think," Daryl cut his eyes to her.

"I promise. I'm fine. Jus' a lil' sore. Head hurts a bit, but nothin' I can't handle," Beth pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her cheek against them so she could stare at Daryl.

Daryl kept his gaze on her until he sighed and nodded once more, going back to fumbling with his fingers. They sat in silence. Beth, having turned her head to rest her chin on her knees, looked around the darkening train car. Rick had taken over for Abraham, steadily chipping away at the wooden floor. Tara sat by Rosita, keeping her company while on lookout, and Sasha, Bob, Maggie, and Glenn all sat against the back wall catching up on how they escaped the prison. Michonne and Carl sat near Rick, having a quiet conversation amongst the three of them. Eugene was the only one standing, pacing in front of Abraham, discussing what Beth might have understood to be a video game called _Fallout 3_? She hadn't had any sort of gaming system on the farm, as she had enough to keep her occupied , but he kept mumbling about post-apocalyptic this and nuclear-fallout that. She couldn't help but wish they had a vault they could all hide in.

"Do you ever wish you could go back to your life _before_? Like…I mean obviously no one wants walkers roamin' the Earth, but I mean, did you have some bucket list of things you wished you would've done?" She turned back to look at Daryl.

"You know what I was doin' before," Daryl replied skeptically.

"Yeah, but…that doesn't mean you didn't have things you wanted for yer'self," Beth countered.

Beth could see him working on his bottom lip, but didn't hold her breath thinking Daryl would say what was hidden behind his lips. Instead she took the focus off him, thinking maybe if she revealed her once-upon-a-dreams, he would feel comfortable enough to share in return.

"I woulda' been the salutatorian of my class. Wanted to move off and go to college in the big city, maybe the University of Georgia and study music. Or maybe become a vet like daddy? I hadn't really decided yet. Jimmy and I would have parted ways after high school. He wouldn't have left rural Georgia to live in the city. So maybe I'd meet a guy in college who'd sweep me off my feet? Get my own apartment. Start my own family someday," She couldn't help smiling at the recollection of her past dreams. It had been a while since she let herself daydream.

She caught herself, realizing she was grinning into space, and turned her attention back to Daryl. He was staring at her with a guarded expression. An expression she recognized when he was on the verge of saying something that could have judgement passed on him.

"It was dumb. I know. Silly fairytales that ah' young, high school girl, who had _no clue_ what tha' real world was like, entertained," Beth sighed; resting her chin on her knees once more.

They sat in silence. The murmur of quiet conversations and the steady thumbing against wood resounded within their confined space. Beth suddenly felt very self-conscious at admitting her visions of the future. She knew Daryl. Knew they were beyond coming to conclusions about each other. She also knew he'd had a rough life and hoped she hadn't come across as these were things she felt 'entitled' to.

"If the world hadn't gone t'shit, you'd have deserved all those things," Daryl said in a voice so quiet Beth barely heard him.

She smiled, her eyes watering at how sincere Daryl sounded for her sake, "Ya' think?"

"Yeah. Yer' good Beth. Too good," Daryl replied just as softly.

Beth sat up, stretching her legs out in front of her, and studied Daryl. She caught him peeking at her from the corner of his eye several times, but he wouldn't meet her stare. He was making an underlying reference in his statement and Beth didn't like it. Daryl was just as good, just as deserving of good things, as anyone else she knew. Probably more so _because_ of everything he had already gone through in life. She wasn't going to let him think otherwise.

Taking a steadying breath, Beth steeled her nerves, and reached for Daryl's hand. She laced her fingers through his and brought their hands down to her lap. He didn't fight her, didn't try to pull away, but didn't much return the gesture either.

"You listen' here Daryl Dixon," her tone caught his attention. When he finally looked at her Beth went on, "In the world we live in, there is no such thing as too good. We live each day fighting to see tha' next. Who we were _before_ is not the people we are now. We all had t'change in order to survive."

He didn't reply. He stared at her as if she was a puzzle that he couldn't quite fit all the pieces to. When a full minute passed and he had yet to acknowledge her statement she decided to take a different approach.

Squeezing his large hand in her smaller one, she continued, "Maggie made me recollect somethin'."

"What's that?" He asked in genuine curiosity.

"There _are_ still good people in the world," Beth answered calmly.

"After everythin' we been through, you're gonna' spout off 'bout that nonsense again?" Daryl scoffed indignantly.

"It's not nonsense," Beth furrowed her brows at him.

"Yeah…well…," he paused, "Rick's always done right by me. Maggie and Glenn too. Michonne. Carl's got his faults, but he's ah' good kid. Sasha ain't so bad neither. An' you."

Daryl focused on his unoccupied hand, "I got my qualms with Bob."

Beth wondered for a moment what he meant by 'qualms,' but Daryl went silent and Beth knew he was through discussing the matter. She could have asked what he meant, she was confident he would have answered her, but the serious look on his face kept her question sealed behind her lips. Instead she chose to focus on what he hadn't said.

"You're a good person too Daryl," she wrapped her other arm around their joined hands, hugging them to her chest.

He cocked his head to the side, his eyes boring into hers, and Beth felt compelled to repeat herself.

"You're a _good_ person."

Daryl's focus danced between their hands and her face. He was conflicted, but Beth held his hand firmly. She wasn't going to let him be alone. Not anymore. People couldn't do things alone anymore. _She_ didn't want to be alone ever again.

"Seems I _do_ need you t'remind me," Daryl finally said; referring to their conversation on the porch of the moonshiner's cabin.

"Thought you said you've never relied on anyone for anything?" Beth relaxed the arm hugging their hands and let it fall to her side, replacing their linked hands to her lap.

"Some people turned out t'be reliable," Daryl answered vaguely.

Beth smiled, her chest filling with pride, accepting the compliment he had just given her. He hadn't expressly said she alone was reliable, but she knew she was included on his list. Riding the euphoria and not worrying about barriers and invisible lines, Beth moved on a whim. Leaning over, she felt the cool material of leather press against her temple. Her head was jarred with the initial tension that assailed Daryl's shoulders. When he finally relaxed, Beth adjusted herself to get more comfortable.

She was suddenly very tired. Maybe it was the relief in knowing Daryl was right there that she could allow herself to unwind. Maybe it was the earthy scent mixed with leather and oil that lingered on his clothes from cleaning his crossbow. Maybe it was just the combination of having a concussion and sleep deprivation. Whatever it was that caused Beth to struggle to keep her eyes open was winning. When her eyes finally came to a close, she felt the rumble of Daryl's voice as much as she heard him when he spoke.

"I've never wished I could go back," Daryl's voice came out steady.

Beth's mind was beginning to fog over. She managed a hum in question, not exactly sure what he was referring to.

"T'_before_. Can't say I ever once thought about tha' future back then. I have more now than I ever did," she felt his jaw tighten against the top of her head, "I'd still be driftin'. Followin' Merle."

Beth forced her eyes open; giving this rare moment of Daryl opening up her full attention. She mulled over his reply, thinking her words over before she answered him. They had shared a lot about their personal lives during their time together, but this was different. This was something else.

"We've both changed from the first time we met on the farm. We've grown. We've both lost people," she took a deep breath, "Outta' all the bad that has happened, I can't say that I haven't wished things would go back to the way they were _before_. I was happy _before_. Then...I get this empty feelin' in my gut because I know...I _know_ that if things were still the same, I would'ah never met anyone. Not Rick, Carl, Lori, Andrea, Michonne…Maggie would'ah never met Glenn."

She lifted her head, ignoring the raw throb behind her eyes, to say her next phrase directly to Daryl's face, "If the walkers had never happened, I would'ah never met you."

"Prolly been for tha' best," Daryl turned away to rest his head against the wall behind him, staring up at the roof.

"No. I'm glad that outta' all the people I could've gotten out with when the prison fell...that it was _you_," Beth expressed. She hoped her words reached him the same way she felt when she said them.

Daryl's head lulled around in her direction. She gave him a brief smile and tucked her head under his chin to reclaim her place on his shoulder. She squeezed his hand again, communicating with him the same way she did with Maggie. She wasn't sure he would understand, but it didn't matter. It just felt like the right thing to do.

She closed her eyes, intent on giving into sleep, when she felt it; a tight pressure around her hand. She smiled wider. Daryl may not have known exactly what her action had meant, but he had returned it. That was enough. There wasn't much to translate from his reciprocation; it was just as simple as her gesture to him.

"_I'm glad it was you too."_

…

Beth's eyes flew open. The sun had turned from golden-orange to crimson, signaling the last light before the sun completely set. Everyone was bustling around the car and Beth had no idea what was going on. She felt a pressure atop her head and lifted her sight as far as she was able. The pressure instantly lifted and Beth recognized the rosy spot on Daryl's cheek from where he had fallen asleep against her. She might have smiled and teased him a bit if she wasn't so confused. Daryl must have felt the same because the look he gave her was filled with apprehension.

"What's goin' on?" Beth asked Maggie as she stood with Daryl's help.

Maggie was peering out of the crack of the box car's door. Rosita and Tara were on the opposite end of the car so Beth deduced that Maggie had taken over watch sometime while she had fallen asleep. Rick, Michonne, and Carl looked just as bewildered as Beth felt. They too must have taken the opportunity to catch some shut eye. Bob and Sasha were frantic by the board Rick had been chipping away at near the rear axle. Bob handed the closed knife to Sasha who cleverly shoved the closed utensil into her bra.

"We got visitors. Think they're bringin' us our rations," Maggie murmured.

"Alright, everyone act natural," Glenn extended his hands, palms open, in a placating manner.

"We're prisoners in a cannibal's 'sanctuary.' Not sure that falls under the 'normal' category," Michonne's anger seeped through even as she whispered.

"We can't let them see the floor," Carl announced; a tremor in his voice.

"We can't all stand in front of it. It'd look suspicious," Rick looked to everyone for suggestions.

Beth looked to Maggie, "How close are they?"

"Couple'ah yards. They'll be here in a few minutes," Maggie stepped away from the door, not wanting to arouse any initial doubt from their server.

"How much is left Bob?" Abraham asked approaching the boards.

"There's just the wood around the last bolt. Should be done within the next hour or so at the rate we're goin'," Bob stated, looking between Abraham and the floor.

"They see what we're doing, we're dead," Rosita fretted.

"The likelihood of them noticing the floor in such dense visibility is slim," Eugene murmured morosely beside Rosita.

"That's just not a chance we can take," Glenn acknowledged.

There was a banging on the door, a creaking of the metal as the lock mechanism was turned, and everyone inside the car became deathly quiet. Beth noticed movement to her left and watched as Sasha made a last ditch to save their escape plan.

"Meal time," an unfamiliar face appeared in the opened doorway, "Anyone tries any funny business and our eyes up above will end everyone one ah' you."

The light, as hazy as it may have been in the setting sun, still blinded Beth. She managed to squint enough to see snipers with their sights trained on the car from the rooftops diagonally from them. She counted four, but with the car being so close to a building in front of them, she was unable to see if more snipers lurked on that roof as well.

"What's wrong with her?" The man pointed toward Sasha after he tossed a few bottles of water and a brown paper bag into the middle of the floor.

Sasha sat on the floor effectively hiding the board from view, a few feet away from the wall, with her knees propped up and her head resting between them. She hugged her legs tightly, looking as if she was in pain. Beth had to hand it to her; her quick thinking had likely saved them all, so long as the man didn't order her to move.

"From the looks of how much food we're given, my guess is that she's starvin'. Not feeling well," Rick commented.

The Terminian eyed her, as if she had some sort of lethal disease, but seemed to accept Rick's suggestion.

"What? No meat?" Daryl mouthed off, bending down to the rifle through the brown paper bag.

"Be happy you get anything," the man sneered, turning on his heel and bolting out of the rail car.

It wasn't until the metal handled locked into place and footsteps were heard retreating their location that everyone took a deep breath. Beth squatted down; the anxiety making her feel light headed.

"Could you not be a smart ass the next time we're trying _not_ to attract attention?" Maggie huffed, glaring at Daryl.

"Hey, it was your ball n' chain that tole' everyone to act 'normal,'" Daryl replied, pulling two pieces of bread out of the bag. He didn't spare Maggie a glance as he snatched up a bottle of water and moved back to sit by Beth.

"That's a good way to get yer'self killed," Beth smiled as she accepted the piece of bread Daryl gave her.

"What? That guy whadn't gonna' do nothin'," Daryl took a bite.

"I wasn't talkin' about the guy," Beth took a bite out of her own roll.

"Mmm," Daryl nodded, "I always been told it was the quiet ones you gotta' watch out for."

Beth gave him a knowing smile, "It's true ya' know."

"Oh I'm aware," Daryl gave a smirk as he drank from the bottled water.

He handed the bottle to her and Beth had a moment of déjà vu. Daryl must have read her mind because he rolled his eyes and shoved the remainder of his roll into his mouth.

"Gorss," Beth murmured, taking a sip, trying to ignore Daryl's terrible manners.

The steady knocking of wood being whittled away resumed before Beth had taken her second bite. It was obvious that everyone was ready to put distance between themselves and their confinement and Beth was tired of sitting around waiting.

Daryl stood and Beth followed him with her eyes, "I'm gonna' take over for Bob. Get this bitch done."

"'Kay," Beth stood and dusted off her jeans with her free hand, "I'm gonna' take watch. Do somethin' useful."

Daryl grunted, bending down to snatch up the water bottle, and walked to the other end of the box car. Beth watched him exchange a few stilted words with Bob, took the knife, and began hacking away at the wood around the last bolt. Beth popped the last bit of her roll into her mouth and approached Maggie.

"I'll take over," Beth toed Maggie's boot with her own, "You go get some rest. Won't be long an' we'll be outta' here."

"Alright," Maggie accepted, "Just holler if you need me. I'll just be right over there with Glenn."

Beth nodded and leaned against the wall so she could peek through the crack of the door. Nightfall had begun to set in and it wouldn't be long before watch wouldn't be necessary. They wouldn't be able to see anything in the darkness until it was too late. Beth glanced at Daryl. One of his muscular arms held his weight while the other used the knife to dig into rotted wood. He'd jar a few pieces free, pull back, and then repeat the process. He was working faster than Bob and Rick both had; the rhythm of the thumping was much more rigorous. They would be out of here soon.

"_Soon_," Beth breathed to herself.

She knew they'd be coming back though. There was no way they could leave these people to their fate and she'd be _damned_ if she left without her crossbow. She finally had the new strings broken in. There was also the fact that these people needed to pay for what they were doing. At least the walker's were going on instinct, no longer 'human,' but Gareth...Gareth was pure evil. If she had any say, they would put an end to Terminus and their ploy.

If Beth had anything to do with it...Terminus would _burn_.

**A/N:** And there you have it! Chapter 2!

I HAVE EPIC NEWS! Chandler Riggs (Carl) and Scott Wilson (Hershel) will be at the Texas Frightmare Weekend in Dallas TX (about 3 hours from where I live)! o_o I am totally going! I'm super excited! I think they're both phenomenal actors and even though it's not Mr. Reedus, I'm super stoked!

Leave me a review and give me your thoughts! Love hearing feedback from my readers!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** A nod to the genius Robert Kirkman for creating this wonderfully dark, post-apocalyptic world. I do not own or have rights to any of the characters/plot of this series. I'm simply a fan indulging in my post-apocalyptic fantasies.

**THANK YOU TO **Nicole137137 for taking the time to send me edits for this chapter! You're awesome!

...

Beth squinted. Her eyes were so tired. She fought against the double vision creeping in from overuse; forcing herself to stay focused in the dark environment. Everyone else was either asleep or resting their eyes. Daryl was still stabbing away at the floorboard, Rick keeping him company.

Beth rubbed her eyes. Her head was beginning to throb either from the strain she was putting on her sight or the concussion making its presence known, that it wasn't gone and therefore couldn't allow her a moment of respite.

"Mother_fucker,_ how much longer is this gonna' take," Daryl hissed through grit teeth.

"You're almost through," Rick replied in a quiet tone, "You see anything Beth?"

Beth shook her head, but then realized they might not be able to see her in the dark, "No."

Daryl's stamina was waning. The rhythm of his movements had slowed, become inconsistent, and Beth knew that if he didn't get the last bit of wood cut away soon, someone was going to have to take over for him.

"You alright?" Rick asked in her direction.

Beth wasn't sure if he could see her or not. She assumed he could view her more easily than she could them, only being able to make out their outline in the dark, with glimpses of their faces from the streaming moonlight that filtered in through the cracks. Where she stood, at the boxcar's door, there was a decent amount of moonlight illuminating her.

"Mm hmm," Beth half-heartedly hummed. When she realized Daryl had stopped carving away at the floor and was looking at her she amended her reply, "I'm fine."

The hacking resumed and Beth fought with her restlessness. She knew it was impractical, no _impossible_, to take Terminus on her own, but that didn't stop her mind from wondering. She had already played over a hundred different scenarios of how she would attempt to save the poor souls trapped in the rail cars they had come across earlier. Each of them ended with her becoming a martyr and dying or her becoming superhuman and leveling the place. Neither endings were realistic, but each gave her mind solace while she waited for Daryl to finish with the floorboard.

Daryl fell back, landing unceremoniously in a heap, flat on his back. Beth jumped at the sudden movement then panicked when Daryl didn't move.

"He's through," Rick answered Beth's unvoiced concerns.

"Really?" Beth perked up, pushing off from where she had been leaning to peek out of the doorway.

"Really," Daryl echoed wearily.

Beth took one last scan through the gap of the door. Satisfied that no one was coming she rushed over to where Daryl lay on the wooden floor. Rick was rousing everyone from their sleep and Beth took the opportunity to marvel at the work put into getting the floorboard off. There were chips of corroded wood everywhere, dust that had long since filled the air when they began putting their escape plan in motion now started to settle back on the floor, and Beth looked to Abraham, Rick, Bob, and Daryl with a new sense of appreciation.

"You did good," Beth reached down and ruffled Daryl's sweat drenched hair.

"I ain't no pet," breathing heavily, Daryl swatted her hand away; his forearm hiding most of his face from where he covered his eyes.

Beth smiled, knowing Daryl was embarrassed by the praise, "Think we'll run into trouble outside the fence?"

"I'd imagine they got patrols goin'. Can't be more than ah' few," Daryl peeked at her from under his arm, "We'll be alright."

"Guess we'll find out," Beth sighed.

"Alright," Rick announced to everyone as they gathered around, "this is going to take everyone's help. We've got one board pliable. Once we manage to get it up, we can focus on the others."

"Just tell us what we need to do," Glenn volunteered.

"Tara's got a hurt ankle so she can take over lookout for Beth. Beth-"

"I'm fine," she interrupted Rick.

"Beth, you've got a concussion," Maggie broached.

"I said I'm fine. I need to help…I am _going_ to help," Beth was resolute.

Rick gave her a nod of acknowledgement, "Then it'll work like this. Michonne will get her sheath under the board and lift. Daryl, Glenn, an' myself will pry up the board. Abraham, Eugene, and Bob get on the backside and start helping us pull up as soon as we get it goin'. Maggie, Rosita, Beth, Carl, and Sasha; you guys stand side by side a few feet down the board to help keep it in place. Your weight should be enough to act as ah' counterweight. That way we won't end up having to pull up the whole board. With enough force and with how weak the wood is here at the end, we should be able to get at least three boards up. Once the first one's up, we'll have room to break the others away from the bolts without usin' the knife."

The plan was sound. Beth knew this would work. It _had_ to work. Everyone else seemed to be in agreement as well.

"Alright. Everybody ready?" Rick looked around.

Tara, still having a slight limp, took her place at the door. Beth moved to stand between Sasha and Rosita. Michonne was already working to wedge her leather sheath in between the boards. Beth watched expectantly as Michonne got it into position. After a couple of pushes on the sheath, the leather itself bending under the force Michonne was exerting, Beth realized their first flaw.

"I can't get enough leverage. The wood here at the edge is rotted, but the rest of it is still in decent condition," Michonne sighed in frustration.

"Damn," Rick cursed, "Okay. Everyone step off. See if that allows you more give."

Michonne tried again, but the board only lifted a few inches from the iron beam it had been bolted to. Daryl stepped forward, trying to get his hands under the board. Beth assessed her hands, looking between the opening and at the size of her fingers, before nudging Daryl to move out of her way.

"My hands are smaller," she explained as she took the same position Daryl had just been in.

Her petite, strong hands, thanks to her trusty crossbow, wiggled into the space that Michonne's sheath allowed on either side of the board. She squatted down and took a deep breath. Then, using her legs to lift, she pulled as if she were nocking her crossbow. She managed to lift the board enough that the sheath was no longer necessary.

While she had pried the board up a small margin, she had exhausted all of her strength. She could hold her ground, but she wouldn't be able to lift it any higher. Her head was beginning to throb in full force from her exertion while her sides ached from the tension. Just as she felt her body starting to give out on her, she felt a strong, sturdy warmth envelope her.

Daryl had reached around her, lacing his fingers in between hers, around the board. His chest flush against her back and cheek hovering inches from her own, she heard the board creak as they lifted it even higher. Rick and Bob soon found a place to grab as well.

"Tryin'ah give yourself an aneurysm?" Daryl groaned in her ear as he struggled to lift the board.

Beth felt a sort of…_strange_ sensation from the vibration of Daryl's voice against her back as his words filled her ear. His breath was warm against her cheek and the only feeling that kept her from getting lost in this new euphoria was the pain in her hands as Daryl's crushed hers into the wooden plank.

"I got it started didn't I?" Beth huffed.

"Stubborn ass," Daryl exhaled amusedly.

"Between you and Maggie, I had no hope to be otherwise," Beth smiled despite her discomfort.

Michonne stepped around Rick and squeezed under the bowing wood to brace herself against the wall. Glenn followed suit and found a handle at the end of the beam to help Michonne support the weight. The wood protested, creaking loudly, but it wouldn't splinter.

"Abraham," Rick called out, "Kick the board where it's bowin' up."

"You guys got a good hold?" Abraham asked before motioning to Maggie, Sasha, Rosita, and Carl to once again step off the board.

"As good as we're gonna' get," Daryl answered through clenched teeth.

"Alright. Here goes…" Abraham stated as he inspected the most appropriate place to kick.

Beth tightened her grip, readying herself for the jarring force Abraham would inflict. When the blow finally came, Beth bit her lip to prevent herself from crying out. The wood around Beth's hands went from a white-gray to a rusted color. Her hands ached, a sharp pain emanating from her palms, but she refused to move until the board broke.

She felt Daryl drop his forehead to her shoulder. She could see his arms shaking from exhaustion. The hour or so he spent chiseling away at the wood had sapped most of this upper body strength. Hardening her resolve, Beth focused on holding onto the board. As long as Daryl held on, so would she.

By the fifth kick, Abraham successfully caused the board to splinter. The lack of resistance caused them to stumble in place. Everyone froze, listening intently for any signs that their ruckus had been heard by anyone nearby. When roughly five minutes had passed and no one had come to check on them, smiles covered everyone's faces. Daryl removed his hands from the detached wood, allowing Beth to do the same, and Bob took it from them to place in the corner of the rail car.

"What tha'…_shit_," Daryl looked at the blood covering his fingers to Beth's hands, "Why didn't you say somethin'?"

Beth couldn't open her hands. They were locked in the position they'd been in while she had held the board up. There was a sort of burn mark in her palm from where the floorboard had rubbed the skin off with each jarring kick Abraham had landed.

"It's not that bad," Beth tried to open and close her hands a bit, scrunching her face to keep from voicing her pain, and looking to see if Rick or anyone else had burns.

"It's 'cause I held yer' hands in place," Daryl stated quietly. He then pulled a red rag out of his back pocket. She watched him curiously while he bent down and scooped up the water bottle they had been sharing. He poured some water onto the rag and held it out to her.

"To clean 'em up," he explained.

"Thanks," she took the rag, glancing up to give him a shy grin. Daryl gave her a shrug and went back to help with the next board.

Rick and Abraham began stamping their feet on the weakest part of the second board, forcing the wood to split from the bolts. Maggie and Sasha stepped in and the group repeated the same process to break the second board, creating a decent sized hole in the floor.

"I can fit through," Michonne announced, "I'll go ahead and scout the fence line while you guys get the last board up."

"You be careful," Rick leaned forward and spoke in a serious tone.

"If you recall, I tend to work better alone," Michonne brushed off Rick's concern.

"Michonne," Carl caught her attention before she jumped to the ground, "don't take too long."

"I'll make you a bet," Michonne smirked, "I make it back in less than ten minutes; I get our last _Cruncho_ bar. If not, it's all yours. No sharing this time."

"You better get goin' then. I'm already counting," Carl smiled in return.

Beth wasn't exactly sure what the exchange meant, but she had taken notice as to how close Rick, Michonne, and Carl had become. They were an unorthodox trio, but Beth was happy they had each other. Family was a rare commodity nowadays.

Michonne ducked down through the floor, silently landing on the ground, before disappearing from their sight. Rick and the rest began working on the last board, but all Beth could do was listen for signs that Michonne had run into trouble. She didn't have her sword and while Beth didn't doubt her abilities, Michonne against several men with guns didn't present the greatest odds.

"_We all have jobs to do…_"

She had said those words to Maggie during the epidemic and then Maggie had repeated them to her in front of the bus when the prison was under attack. This was Michonne's job. Beth would have to trust that Michonne could handle herself.

…

"…_fifty-six…fifty-seven…fifty-eight…fifty-nine…sixty._"

Beth had counted to sixty at least fifteen times. Though she couldn't be sure whether she was counting too fast or too slow in her anxiety ridden state, she knew Michonne had been gone over ten minutes. They had managed to get the third board off, making sure Eugene fit through in case they needed to take off a fourth, and then Beth began counting.

"She's been gone too long," Carl muttered from where he paced back and forth.

"Tara, any sign that someone was alerted by the fence?" Sasha asked.

"Don't think so. Can't see anyone. It's quiet," Tara shook her head, but didn't take her eyes off the space in the doorway.

"We'll give her five more minutes. If she hasn't shown up by then, we'll send someone out to see if she ran into trouble," Rick looked to each member of their group.

"If she's in trouble, five minutes could be too late," Carl rounded on Rick.

"Carl, Michonne has been in tighter situations than this. She'll be fine," Rick sounded more like he was convincing himself than consoling his son.

"Someone talkin' about me?" A voice came from under the boxcar.

Beth heaved a sigh of relief. Michonne looked a little rumbled, some grass sticking to her back and in her hair, but she was otherwise unscathed. Rick helped her back into the car and Beth realized Michonne wasn't without a weapon.

"Where'd ya' find that?" Rick inquired with a pleased smile.

"I borrowed it from the guy patrolling the fence line. He's got a buddy a couple of yards down. That'll give us two extra guns on top of what you have buried," Michonne replied, examining the automatic weapon slung across her chest.

"What happened to the guy you took the gun from?" Abraham asked what Beth had been thinking.

"I tied him to a tree. As long as walkers don't get him, we should be able to get intel on where they took our stuff," Michonne answered pointedly.

It was then that Beth realized Michonne's belt was missing. At least someone else found good use for the accessory.

"So minus the other guy behind the fence, we're good?" Rosita ask, standing next to Abraham.

"Yes," Michonne nodded, "We'll go in groups of two. We'll draw less attention that way and have someone to watch our backs. I'll go first, make sure it's still clear, and signal for the first group to run."

"Alright. Everyone grab a partner. We're gettin' outta' here," Rick rested his hand on Carl's shoulder.

Relief filled their confined space. As long as no one approached the boxcar in the next ten to fifteen minutes, they'd be golden. Beth glanced around as everyone migrated to their partner. Michonne had already jumped out of the car, not waiting around to see who paired off with whom.

"Eugene is the most important person to mankind's survival. I've made it my life's mission to ensure he is safely delivered to Washington. So I'm gonna' have to ask that we go first. He has to escape or all hopes of findin' a cure for this damned apocalypse will be lost," Abraham announced.

Beth wasn't sure what the deal with Eugene was, but she found the idea of there being a cure comical. She wanted to believe that someday, in the future, a cure would be found. However, scientists and biochemists would have needed to survive the breakout in order for that to be possible. So maybe Eugene _was_ some sort of scientist? He'd sounded smart when he spoke, very educated, and he had the whole awkward social interaction down perfectly.

"Go on ahead," Glenn motioned with his hand.

Glenn stood next to Maggie. Beth had already paired them together in her head, but the way Glenn was glancing over to Tara made her question whether they'd actually end up running together. Tara had a hurt ankle and Beth wasn't sure she'd be able to scale the fence without help.

Eugene squeezed through the boards, Abraham doing the same, and it was only a moment before their clunky footsteps through the gravel announced their departure. Glenn then whispered something to Maggie, who looked at him thoughtfully, before nodding.

Glenn approached Tara, who was still keeping watch, and Beth barely caught their quiet conversation, "You want me to go with you? Help you get over the fence?"

"No way. We went through hell to make sure you found your wife…found Maggie. You two go together," Tara looked at Glenn as if he'd lost his mind.

"I'll go with her," Rosita moved to stand beside Tara, "I'll make sure she gets over."

"You sure?" Glenn glanced between the two girls.

"Positive," Rosita nudged Tara, earning a huge smile from the girl they were both fussing over.

Glenn nodded and went back to Maggie. Maggie rose on her toes and planted a quick kiss on Glenn's cheek. They exchanged a look, both smiling, and then clasped hands. Beth felt a twinge of happiness and sadness all at the same time.

"Beth, you want me to go with you?" Maggie asked her across the opening in the floor.

"I got'er," Daryl answered.

Beth hadn't even heard him move to stand behind her. It wasn't until he spoke that she felt his presence radiating on her back.

"Alright then. We'll go next," Sasha looked to Bob.

"After you," Bob made a gesture with his arms for Sasha to exit first.

Maggie and Glenn followed after, Glenn insisting they go before Tara and Rosita just in case Tara needed extra help getting over the fence. That left Rick, Carl, Daryl, and herself.

"You two go on ahead," Daryl spoke to Rick, "We'll bring up the rear."

"You guys be careful," Beth implored.

"Same to you," Carl replied with equal sincerity, and then they ducked down into the hole.

Beth felt Daryl place his hand on the small of her back, leading her to the opening. As quietly as possible she hopped down onto the gravel, sliding over so that Daryl could follow behind her. They could see Rick and Carl running a few feet ahead and Beth's stomach twisted into knots.

"You run to that fence and don't stop for nothin'. I'll be right behind ya' the whole way," Daryl ordered.

Beth nodded. She didn't trust her voice to reply. Rick and Carl were now scaling the fence and soon their figures disappeared completely; safe behind the cover of the woods.

"I'll be right behind ya'," Daryl repeated.

They waited a few seconds, listening in case anyone had seen Rick and Carl, and then Daryl told her to run. So she did. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her. She was tired, weak, sore, and scared. She felt an invisible monster chasing her, closing in on her, and it made her run that much harder.

She barreled into the fence, not slowing down, and risked a glance beside her. Daryl had just reached the fence and the two of them climbed over. She ignored the pain in her palms as the metal dug into her tender skin. When she was close enough to the ground on the other side, she jumped, waiting for Daryl, before they took off further into the woods to meet up with everyone else.

As soon as Maggie was within sight, Beth knew they had made it. They were all safe. They had escaped without incident and they were all _okay_.

"We're all here then," Rick sighed with relief.

Beth bent over to place her raw hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. Her blond, messy hair, spilled around her, creating a sort of curtain. Feeling concealed behind her hair and in the cover of darkness, Beth let a few tears slip from her eyes. The overwhelming feeling from their liberation and immense joy of escaping unscathed was too much for Beth to push down.

Wiping her eyes under the guise of wiping the sweat from her face, Beth righted herself. She could feel Daryl's eyes on her, but refused to look at him. If she did she was afraid he would see the emotions she was trying to hide. Instead she moved towards everyone huddled around Rick and readied herself for whatever they decided to do next.

Beth noticed that Abraham now had a gun similar to Michonne's. Beth assumed that he and Michonne must have taken it upon themselves to relieve the second guard of his weapon while everyone else was fleeing the rail car.

"So what's the plan?" Glenn quietly spoke.

"They don't know we've escaped yet. When they do, they'll probably scour the woods. I don't know that they'll put much effort into trying t'find us, but we can't stay here just in case," Rick replied solemnly.

"So we're just gonna' run? What about all those people?" Sasha's voice filled with disbelief.

"We can't do anything while they've got their guard up," Rick quickly answered.

"So what? We go back up the track a ways. Warn people off? Wait a few days?" Bob inquired.

"That's exactly what we do. We wait until they think we've made a run for it. We'll find a decent spot to make camp, take the guy Michonne secured, and find out as much as we can from 'em. We'll come up with a plan and we'll get those people out," Rick declared.

"Sounds good t'me," Daryl agreed.

"I see no problems," Bob nodded, agreeing more for Sasha's sake than his own.

"Then it's decided," Glenn stood, wrapping an arm around Maggie.

"I'll dig up the guns I buried and we'll get on our way. Don't wanna' stay here too long," Rick dusted the dirt from his jeans and moved to the freshly covered dirt mound hiding their weapons.

"I'll take Mr. Unconscious," Daryl stated as he walked to the tree Michonne had tied the stranger to.

"I'll help," Glenn went with Daryl.

Beth suddenly felt a wave of nausea. Her head throbbed horribly. The exertion after having only a little bread and a few sips of water did nothing to aid the effects of her concussion. She must have looked ill because Maggie grabbed her hand.

"Beth…you alright?" Her sister's voice wavered.

"Yeah," Beth took a deep breath, "Just a little dizzy."

"We're all dehydrated. With some water and rest everyone should feel better," Bob said while assessing her.

Beth nodded, squeezing Maggie's hand, and released their grasp.

"Everyone ready?" Rick asked while tossing the bag of guns over his shoulder.

Daryl and Glenn had unstrapped the man from the tree and each of them had an arm over their shoulder. She knew they couldn't risk waking the man, as he could have easily began screaming bloody murder and gave them all away, but Beth didn't like Daryl making himself so vulnerable to the man's grasp. Daryl had a firm hold of the man's wrist, but there were other parts of the body that could inflict damage.

"We're ready," Glenn replied.

"Alright," Rick turned his back to everyone, "let's go."

…

Beth followed closely beside Maggie, lost in her own thoughts, at the end of their troop. Daryl and Glenn were closer to the front, in between Rick and Michonne. Carl was talking quietly with Sasha and Bob. Tara followed awkwardly in the middle next to Rosita, Eugene, and Abraham.

"You wanna' tell me what you're thinkin' about?" Maggie broke through her thoughts.

Beth cast her eyes over their group. She wasn't really sure what she was thinking about specifically. She was working through the array of emotions she had felt the past hour or so. Thinking about how far she had come from her days at the prison. Thinking about Judith. How she hoped that whatever had happened to her, that it had been quick. She couldn't bear the thought of her sweet Jude suffering. She wanted to believe others had made it, but even if they had, she knew they'd probably never see them again.

"Just thinkin'," Beth replied.

Maggie stayed quiet for a while. Beth knew she had more to say, she could _feel_ Maggie working over how to word whatever her real concerns were. Maggie wasn't one to let things go unsaid and her question had been an ice breaker.

"You've changed…so much. I'm finding it a lil' hard to recognize you," Maggie turned her head to give Beth an unsure smile.

"How so?" Beth was genuinely curious.

"It's hard t'say. You don't seem as…fragile," Maggie answered honestly.

"Is that supposed to be a nice way of saying I was weak before?" Beth cut her eyes to Maggie in annoyance.

"You've never been _weak_. I jus' mean that you're more confident in yourself. Like you've figured yourself out. Doesn't seem forced like when we were at the prison," Maggie mulled over her explanation, "It's like you've finally grown into your own. That make sense?"

Beth smiled, "Yeah. I had to do some growing up when I was alone."

Maggie glanced at her, "You've always been stubborn, opinionated, strong-willed-"

"I got it Mags," Beth interrupted.

Maggie smiled, laughing softly, "I just mean…you've always been strong Beth. Only a strong person would have lasted as long as we have."

"Yeah," Beth agreed.

"You're not a little girl anymore," Maggie finally articulated her thoughts, "I don't see the little sister I was separated from at tha' prison. I see a grown woman who can take care of herself."

Beth didn't reply. Doing so would have tarnished the moment. To hear Maggie acknowledge that she no longer viewed Beth as someone who needed protecting, someone who couldn't contribute, meant more than Beth had envisioned. She'd always been treated like glass and it was thanks to Daryl that she'd been able to grow out of that stigma.

"I owe Daryl more than I can ever repay," Maggie whispered softly.

"Me too," Beth replied, staring at the set of angel wings in front of her.

He must have felt her eyes on him because it was at that exact moment that Daryl chose to glance over his shoulder at her. She gave him a smile and his eyes travelled from hers, down to her lips, before turning his attention back to the front.

"Things aren't ever going to be the same…are they?" Maggie's weary question made Beth look away from Daryl's leather vest.

"No…no they're not," Beth shook her head.

Beth herself wasn't sure if she was talking about the world in general or her immediate vicinity. All Beth knew, in that moment, was that she needed rest, water, and she wanted her crossbow back. She felt naked without it. The most pertinent issue on Beth's mind was those helpless people still trapped in Terminus. She felt guilty leaving like they were, but knew they wouldn't be able to help without having the element of surprise on their side.

In a few days' time they would have the information they needed, a plan to follow, and they would bring down the sick community that was Terminus. Beth just needed a little time to recuperate and she would be ready to go.

She furrowed her brows and said a silent prayer to the people trapped in the boxcars.

"_Just hang on…we're coming."_


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** A nod to the genius Robert Kirkman for creating this wonderfully dark, post-apocalyptic world. I do not own or have rights to any of the characters/plot of this series. I'm simply a fan indulging in my post-apocalyptic fantasies.  
**  
THANK YOU TO** Nicole137137 for yet another amazing editing job! I apprecaite you letting me bounce ideas off you so much! XOXO

...

A branch slashed across Beth's cheek, but she didn't have time to stop. The mass of groaning bodies chasing them didn't tire. Their decomposing muscles felt no fatigue. Therefore, they had to keep running; keep moving.

"Beth!" Maggie screamed as a walker reached out for her.

Beth threw her arms out, her fingers sinking into the deteriorating flesh until she hit the sternum, keeping the walker's teeth at bay. Another walker was coming up behind her. She could hear the shuffling of its feet. They had no weapons, not even a knife, and no sane person fought off walkers with their bare hands. However, Beth was desperate.

Thinking quickly, knowing she wouldn't be able to hold the walker off of her much longer in her weakened state or without being attacked from behind, she kicked the walker's knee. Biting her lip when she didn't get the result she desired, she kicked again, putting more force behind the motion. There was a sickening crack of bone and cartilage dislodging and the walker fell to its knees. At the same time, Maggie grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the reach of the approaching walker. Then they were running again.

She and Maggie had been cut off from the group. They had been lagging behind, caught up in their own conversation, when they ran into the herd they were forced to go down a different path than everyone else. They had tried to stay parallel with where they had seen everyone else run, but with the chaos the walkers had brought they weren't sure where they had been steered.

"Where the hell did they all come from?" Maggie breathed, shoving a walker out of her path.

"We had a pretty good shoot out the other day. Think they were attracted by it?" Beth wheezed, ducking under a tree limb.

"Maybe," Maggie responded tersely.

They ran into an open area and stood back to back. Beth desperately searched for any sign of where the others had run. They had put a good distance between them and the center of the herd, now only having to deal with the stragglers, but without weapons the walkers were virtually invincible. Beth knew she could stomp their heads in, but that left the issue of getting them on the ground to do so. Maybe with Maggie's help?

"Beth! Maggie!" A voice drifted over the groans of the dead.

"We're here!" Beth yelled as both girls dashed in the direction of the voice.

She spotted Carl using a fallen branch to smash a walker's head. Maggie must have noticed as well because they were both looking to the ground for a sturdy limb to use as a makeshift bat. Finding one she deemed adequate, Beth bent down and grabbed it as she ran by. She glanced back over her shoulder to check on Maggie and Beth's blood ran cold.

Maggie had turned off course to grab a decent sized branch. In stopping she had given a nearby walker time to catch up to her. She was now on her back, tree branch held out in front of her with both hands, acting as a barrier between Maggie and the walker. The limb began cracking in the middle as the walker force itself closer to Maggie. It snarled and snapped at her. With no lips to cover the yellowing teeth, or much of any facial features worth recognizing, Maggie looked like she was going to be devoured by a monster.

"_No_," Beth breathed and her feet were moving of their own accord.

She dropped her shoulder and barreled into the once-human creature. Her ribs burned from the jarring, but she had been able to get Maggie out of immediate danger. Beth dropped to her knees, the pain making it impossible to stand. She wrapped one arm around her torso, clenching her eyes shut, hoping that the support of her arm would ease the fire under her skin.

She tried to open her eyes and make sure Maggie was able to get up, but the only thing she could see was white, hot pain. A loud banging erupted next to her, followed by a squishing, wet sound and the groaning of the walker was silenced. The eerie stillness remained for a few more moments and then Beth could hear leaves rustling. Steady, even steps approached her.

"Beth…_Bethy_" Maggie's hesitant voice was enough to make Beth melt.

"I'm…okay…" Beth managed to slur.

"We gotta' get up. Carl and Rick need our help," Maggie's tone was more urgent.

Beth nodded, opening her eyes and letting the world spin around her. After a few moments, the earth stilled and she was able to see clearly. She pushed off of her knees, forcing herself to stand, and looked over to Rick and Carl. The two of them were fending off a few walkers while Daryl and Glenn, still holding the Terminus guard, watched their backs. Beth knew Daryl would drop the man if it meant saving Rick or Carl, but she also knew he was only keeping the man away from the walkers so they could help the captives they left behind.

"Go," Beth whispered, "I'm comin'."

Maggie didn't wait to be told twice. Beth followed behind, catching sight of Sasha and Bob helping Rosita and Abraham protect Eugene. Michonne was a few yards past them.

"We gotta' run," Rick yelled as he struck the only walker left close enough to cause harm.

Beth groaned internally. She could barely walk at the moment, much less run. All she could focus on was talking one more step; keeping one foot in front of the other. Her ribs ached. She wasn't sure if jarring them like she had when he rushed that walker had done more damage or aggravated the injuries she already had.

Coming toward her she saw brown shoes, following them up to equally brown pants, and continuing until she met stark blue. She looked around him to see that Maggie had taken his place shouldering their semi-conscious hostage. The conflict with the walkers had brought the man out of his obliviousness.

"What're you doin'?" Beth was confused.

"We gotta' get a move on and you're just gonna' slow us down," Daryl remarked, looping on arm around her waist and bringing her arm closest to him to wrap around his shoulder.

Beth was hit with a sense of déjà vu, however, there were two stark differences. The first was the winter months that had separated them and the second being her ankle wasn't her debilitating injury. Knowing that Daryl was more concerned with the situation they were in and not exactly angry with her, Beth let his snide remark slide.

"What tha' hell were you thinkin'? Gettin' so far behind like that," Daryl grumbled as he helped her catch up with the group.

"_What_?" Beth turned to glare at him.

"You and Maggie. Both ah' y'all back there gossipin' instead of paying attention t'what's goin' on around you," Daryl sneered.

"_He's just lashing out. He's pissed we don't have weapons. He's mad that yet another opportunity for sanctuary has blown up in our faces. He's taking it out on you because he knows you'll understand he's just venting and won't hold him accountable for any of the_ stupid _things he's sayin',_" Beth chanted to herself, droning out Daryl's rant. It was, however, taking immeasurable strength not to blow up right back at him.

"…you're smarter'n that," she caught the tail end of his tirade.

Beth clenched her teeth. Clearly her prior assumption had been incorrect; Daryl was livid with her as well. He was saying these things to hurt her; a punishment of sorts. She wasn't going to rise to his bait and say something she would later regret, no matter how much he pissed her off.

Daryl quieted down, wearing a scowl, as they caught up with everyone. There were more walkers coming after them, deviating from the main herd, attracted by the commotion they had made fighting off the ones they had run into cutting through the woods. The walkers were slow and as long as the group kept moving, the corpses would lose their scent and chase the next thing that caught their attention.

They kept the railroad tracks in sight, hoping to warn off anyone else looking for sanctuary, but they otherwise traveled in silence. Beth hadn't spoken since she'd questioned Daryl, and he hadn't so much as looked at her since, but the tension between them was suffocating. She wasn't going to pretend that she hadn't gotten caught up in her conversations with Maggie, expecting their walk to be a peaceful stroll through the woods, but he hadn't been on top of his game either. Daryl was always the first to notice when things weren't right and for some reason, today, that hadn't happened.

They had been walking for at least an hour, more or less, and the pain in her ribs had finally becoming an uncomfortable twinge. The longer she accepted Daryl's help walking, the more asphyxiated she felt. She kept replaying the harsh things he had said to her in her head until she couldn't handle being near him anymore. If she didn't create space, and soon, she was going to end up blurting something out and causing a scene.

She pulled her arm from his grasp over his shoulder, using her other hand to remove his grip around her hip, "I'm fine. I can walk on my on now. _Thanks_."

She hadn't meant to sound as curt as her words had come out, but she decided he deserved a little of the fire roiling within her.

"You sure 'bout that?" His tone came out neutral, but to Beth he might as well have been calling her frail.

"I said I'm fine," Beth bit back.

She didn't stay close long enough for him to make another remark, she didn't glance over her shoulder as she walked away, and instead she walked straight over to Maggie and pointedly made herself pretend that Daryl Dixon didn't matter. He had called her out on breaking one of the rules he'd taught her, _always_ be aware of your surroundings, and as much as she was angry with him, she was most upset at herself.

So Beth pushed thoughts of Daryl aside, needing time to clear her head and get herself back to thinking rationally. When she had cooled off she would go apologize and tell him he was right, but for the time being she needed to remove his constant presence from her mind.

...

It was nightfall. They had traveled most of the day, trying to find a decent place with ample coverage, close to the tracks, and not too far from Terminus. The stars twinkled above, barely visible through the trees, giving the only light available to illuminate the dark. They hadn't come across any more walkers since the herd earlier. Beth assumed that any nearby walkers had been attracted to the sounds from Terminus and that they probably wouldn't run into anymore unless they traveled farther out. Not that she was complaining, but the stillness of the woods bothered her almost more than knowing when walkers were nearby.

Beth lay on her back, counting the stars, trying to will herself to sleep. Most everyone, save two people on guard duty, were trying to catch up on much needed rest. They had nothing to use to set up a perimeter, one small pocketknife and a few sticks to kill walkers, and the clothes on their backs. She wasn't sure how much luck everyone else was having, but sleep just wasn't going to come to her.

She tried to blame her inability to relax on their situation, that she didn't have her security blanket she had come to rely on; her crossbow, but it came down to that she was just being stubborn. She felt guilty about how she'd snapped at Daryl, even if he had been unnecessarily irritable with her, but she knew she was to blame. She couldn't have stopped the walkers, but if she had been paying more attention she could have reacted quicker and kept her and Maggie from getting separated, however brief it had been.

It was her stubborn pride getting in the way. She had never been a vain person; always doing what was right, but for whatever reason she didn't want to seem weak in front of Daryl. Then again, her daddy had always told her that it takes a bigger person to admit they were wrong.  
Sighing heavily, sitting up from where she lay close to Maggie, who was blissfully asleep snuggled up to Glenn, Beth looked around their camp. Sasha and Bob were sitting back to back, keeping watch, and everyone else lay scattered on the ground. Rick, Carl and Michonne, although Michonne lay a greater distance away than Rick and Carl, were a few feet away from her.

Abraham and Eugene lay sprawled out across from the fire, Tara and Rosita talking quietly close by, but she didn't see Daryl anywhere. Beth got up quietly and made her way to Sasha. She gave a small wave to Tara, who had lifted her head to see if there was a disturbance, and crouched in front of Sasha.

"You seen Daryl?" Beth whispered.

"Yeah, he walked that way a few minutes ago. Guess he couldn't sleep either," Sasha gave a sad smile, "Probably checkin' to make sure nothings out there."

Beth nodded, not wanting to wake anyone lucky enough to have fallen asleep with their conversation, and tiptoed in the direction Sasha had indicated. She couldn't see his tracks in the dark and knew how light Daryl could be on his feet. If he didn't want her to find him, she wouldn't.

There was no campfire for Beth to gauge how far she had ventured from the group. She had counted fifty steps and decided that was far enough. She stood still, listening for anything that might give Daryl away, while also making sure nothing snuck up on her.

There was complete silence.

Beth breathed, taking in the fragrance of the woods, and realized she was more at peace standing here than she had been all day. She felt more in her element out here. It was almost laughable. All the months she had spent on her own, wishing for company, and she found the most solace in her solitude.

There was a sound to her left and Beth's reflexes took over. When she spotted a familiar figure emerging from the dark shadows of the trees she allowed herself to relax. He hadn't said anything, but with the way he kept glancing up at her from under his shaggy bangs, Beth knew she wasn't the only one who had something they wanted to say.

"Hey," she started quietly.

"Hey," he echoed.

"Couldn't sleep either, huh?" Beth eased into the conversation.

"Nah. Too much on my mind," Daryl replied.

"Yeah…" Beth nodded. She knew they were dancing around the subject, but she wasn't ready to shatter the small bit of peace she had just found.

"Where's yer' weapon?" Daryl looked her over.

"In Terminus," Beth couldn't help but remark.

"Smartass," Daryl smirked, "You know what I meant."

"If you're referrin' to the tree branch I had earlier, I dropped it before you decided I needed help walkin'," Beth answered truthfully.

"Damnit Beth. This ain't no fuckin' amusement park," Daryl approached her.

"I know that!" Beth's voice rose an octave, "But you're being a hypocrite!"

"How so?" Daryl glared at her.

"You don't have one either!" Beth gestured at him with her hand.

"Don't gimme' that bullshit. You know good and well that I can take care'ah myself," Daryl snubbed her.

"So can I!" Beth was growing frustrated.

"I didn't say ya' couldn't," Daryl growled back.

"But you're implyin' it," Beth sighed.

Daryl narrowed his eyes at her. Clearly he was still just as annoyed with her as she was him. Unless Beth calmed down, they weren't going to resolve anything and she wasn't going to hold her breath thinking Daryl would approach her first to work things out.

"What'cha come out here for girl?" Daryl took a step back, creating space between them.

"I came out to find you," Beth crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well ya' did so why don't you go on an' scurry back to camp," Daryl flicked his wrist a couple of times towards the general direction of their group.

It was Beth's turn to glare. Taking a deep breath, she decided to follow the advice her daddy had given her, "Look…I'm _sorry_ for not paying more attention earlier. It was stupid-"

"Damn right it was!" Daryl interrupted her.

Beth ignored him and continued, "-and I'll be more careful from now on."

Daryl grunted a reply.

"I dunno why you're so pissy about it anyway. Everything turned out fine," Beth huffed.

"Pissy? You think I was _pissy_?" Daryl accentuated the word.

"I think you're pissy about a lotta' things," Beth didn't back down.

"I ain't _pissy_ 'bout nothin'," Daryl retraced his steps, his chest bumping into Beth's arms.

"Then why're you actin' this way?" Beth uncrossed her arms, standing toe-to-toe with the angry Dixon.

Daryl didn't reply. He just stood there, staring down at her, and Beth furrowed her brows.

"I'unno," he grunted, shrugging his shoulders.

It was the same default evasion he had used when they were sitting at the dining table in the mortuary. Beth hadn't let him shut her out then and she wasn't going to let him do it in this instance either.

"Don't "I'unno"," she pressed, copying his shrug, "Talk to me."

Daryl dropped his head, his hands settled on his hips, and he took several deep breaths. Beth waited. He was working out how he wanted to word his answer so she would patiently wait until he knew what he wanted to say.

"We coulda' died," Daryl said softly, "in Terminus."

"But we got out," Beth's eyes softened.

"We lost all our shit," Daryl looked off into the distance, eyes sharp, and jaw clenched.

"And we'll get it back," Beth searched his profile.

"You hurt yourself tryin' t'help me," Daryl finally looked back down at her.

Beth was confused for a moment. When had she tried to help him? They hadn't needed each other's help until earlier today, but she had been with Maggie. The only time she'd gotten herself hurt trying to help him was when Joe's men had been trying to kill Rick.

Realization overtook her features. He felt guilty. Her injuries from being shoved into the vehicle had been healing and then earlier happened and any progress she had made crumbled the moment she shoved the walker off Maggie.

"And I'd do it again without a second thought," Beth replied sincerely.

Daryl searched her eyes and then looked away, "Don't do somethin' like that again. Not for me."  
Beth sighed, annoyed with his lack in sense of self-worth, "I'm sorry Daryl, but you don't get to make those decisions. _I_ do."

He cut his eyes to her, but didn't turn to fully stare at her. He was chewing on the inside of his cheek, fighting some internal battle that Beth couldn't identify.

"You're worth fighting for Daryl," Beth grabbed his wrists still propped on his waist and brought them forward. He didn't fight her, but he refused to look at her. Unperturbed by this Beth continued, "I'd risk my life to save you just like I know you'd do the same for me. That's what trust is."

"You trust me," Daryl's rough voice made the phrase sound like more of a statement than question.

"With my life," Beth smiled.

"You shouldn't," Daryl met her gaze.

"That's also my decision," Beth countered.

"I couldn't save Merle…couldn't save your dad…I let you get taken off by some crazy bastard…I was concentratin' too much on tha' guy we's carryin' instead of around us. Let them walkers get the jump on us.I sure as hell don't deserve your trust," Daryl listed off each situation coldly.

Daryl was trying to shoulder the blame of everything bad that happened as if he was personally responsible for them. Beth didn't like it. None of those things were Daryl's fault. If he continued blaming himself for every little thing that went wrong he was going to blame himself right into the ground.

"Bullshit," Beth bellowed, "That's total bullshit and you know it!"

"Ain't bullshit. Name one thing I done right!" Daryl's body went rigid as his temper rose once more.

"I survived because of _you_," Beth blurted out.

Daryl's eyes expressed confusion while his shoulders stayed taunt. She hadn't meant to be so straightforward, but the words had already been spoken and it was the truth. If it hadn't been for Daryl taking the time to teach her some basic tracking, setting simple traps, and how to use and maintain a crossbow, Beth highly doubted she would be having this conversation with Daryl.

"Judith," her breath hitched, "Judith survived as long as she did because you made sure she _always_ had formula. You were in the group that went into an infested veterinary college and brought back medicine that saved countless lives in the prison. Carol…whenever she needed you, you were there. Rick depends on you, _trusts_ you. My daddy believed in you."

Daryl's gaze bore into her own. His lips were pressed into a firm line, but his expression was otherwise unreadable.

"You're only responsible for your own actions Daryl. You can't control what other people do," Beth finished.

"I was jus' doin' what needed t'be done. I never asked for nobody to look t'me for answers," Daryl said quietly, dropping his head to look to the side.

"That may be true, but regardless whether you think so or not, people see what kind of person you are," Beth replied with a smile, tightening her hold on his wrists.

"And what kinda' person's that?" Daryl mocked.

Beth smiled wider, not letting his sarcasm get to her, "A good one."

Daryl took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. Beth could literally see the weight lifting from his shoulders. She trailed her fingers down his wrists, into his palms, and laced her fingers within his. His fingers curled around her much smaller hands and Beth knew they were okay. All was forgiven. Everything that had been bottled up and festering was out in the open.

"How ya' holdin' up?" Beth asked, staring at his busted lip.

"I'm alright. No worse for wear," Daryl answered, "How's your head?"

"It's better. Haven't had a headache since we were runnin' earlier. My ribs are a little sore though," she didn't bother trying to deny her pain. Daryl would notice the stiffness in her stride whether she wanted him to or not.

"Rick's plannin' on us staying round here ah' day or two. You be sure and rest while you can," Daryl said sternly.

Beth wiggled her fingers in his grasp, unable to resist the chance to tease him, "Yes sir, Mr. Dixon."

"Don't start that shit again," Daryl huffed at her, but Beth caught his smirk.

Beth felt more at ease. She felt her muscles turning to jelly as the tension left her body. If she hadn't been so stubborn and talked to Daryl earlier, like she had planned, before everyone settled down for the night then she might have actually gotten to sleep. Her dreams still plagued her; the sad smile of her father, trying to escape from a confined space, and infant screams of Judith.

"I'm gonna' talk to Rick tomorrow," Beth suddenly announced.

"'Bout what?" Daryl inquired.

"Judith," was her one word answer.

She leaned forward, resting her forehead against his sternum. She let go of his hands to wrap her arms around his waist. Daryl may not have been one for physical contact, but Beth was. Every once in a while she just needed a hug. She needed human contact. Even if Daryl didn't reciprocate it, she liked to think that sometimes he appreciated her giving hugs as much as she appreciated him letting her.

"I just want to know if…" Beth trailed off.

Warm hands wrapped around the back of her arms. It was the most Daryl ever did when she hugged him, but it was enough for Beth.

"She whadn't yours," Daryl tried to reason.

"She was though. I might not have given birth to her, but she was mine," Beth felt her cheeks heating up, "Rick may not have gotten her out, but maybe…maybe he saw someone else take her? She was with Lizzie and Mika last I saw her. Maybe they got out with someone?"

Daryl just nodded. She could read his thoughts, "_Don't get your hopes up_," but she appreciated that he kept it to himself.

She lifted her head and stared up at him, "I'm gonna' go try and get some sleep. You comin'?"

"Yeah. I'll be back in a bit. Gonna' stay here ah' few more minutes," Daryl murmured, letting go of her arms.

"Alright. Goodnight Daryl," Beth gave a small smile while turning to leave.

She walked a few steps when she heard Daryl's smooth voice call out to her, "Night Beth."

...

She had managed to get a few hours of sleep. It was nothing like the forty-eight hours she wished she could have slept, but it was enough that she didn't feel so bone tired as she had the day before. Maggie and Glenn had taken over for Sasha and Bob when she'd gotten back to camp. Maggie had given her a questioning look, but otherwise left Beth alone to sleep.

After a brief meeting on how they should go about trying to get information out of their captive, Daryl and Michonne volunteered to act as interrogators, Beth sought out Rick. He was sitting on the ground, on the edge of camp closest to the railroad tracks, using his dulling pocketknife to sharpen the end of a few tree limbs.

"Hey," Beth smiled, squatting in front of him as he worked.

"Well hey Beth," he looked up to her, "everythin' alright?"

"Yeah. I was just hopin' I could talk to you about somethin'," Beth responded.

"Course. What's on yer' mind?" Rick stood, dusting off the seat of his pants.

Beth rose to stand beside him, "It's about Judith."

Rick froze, then dropped his gaze to his feet and nodded a few times.

"I was just hopin'…I mean…do you know what…" Beth was unsure of her words.  
Rick shook his head, "I found her car seat."

Beth stopped breathing.

"It had blood all over it," he mumbled.

"Was she…" Beth whispered.

"She whadn't in it. Carl and I…we didn't _see_ her anywhere. We just ran. We didn't look back. Jus'…kept runnin'," Rick's voice wavered, "We couldn't look for her. I tried, but I had to keep Carl safe…"

"_I'm so sorry_," Beth's voice broke, "I didn't get on the bus. I went to look for the kids, look for Jude, but I couldn't find them anywhere. Daryl found me and we just couldn't look anymore."

"It's not your fault Beth," Rick looked up into the sky, "I failed her."

"We both did," Beth accepted, blinking back tears.

They stood there in silence; their misery keeping each other company. Beth wished for Judith to have had a fulfilling life, finding love, having kids, growing old, but she knew that the little girl had been spared so much misery. As much as Beth wanted those things, in their world now, they were just pretty thoughts and fairytales.

There was a sound in the distance, two voices from what she could tell, and she immediately crouched down. Rick was motioning to everyone to get down and be quiet.

"They're talking so it can't be walkers," Beth whispered.

"Whoever they are, they need to be told to steer clear of Terminus," Rick added.

Beth crept forward, earning a hissing rendition of her name from Maggie, but she ignored her. She used the base of a tree to shield her from sight, peeking around to see exactly how many people they were going to be dealing with.

Beth could see a large black man, wearing a navy beanie. He was conversing with a short woman. She had short peppered hair, slim frame, and nodding to whatever the man had said.  
Beth couldn't breathe. There on the woman's hip was a tuft of ginger-brown hair, blue eyes, and four chubby appendages. Beth was moving before she could work out exactly what she was seeing. She hurdled through the trees, practically tripping over her feet to the bottom of the small incline that led to the tracks below.

"Beth?" The woman gasped, staring wide-eyed when Beth finally reached the middle of the tracks.

The voice was all Beth needed to hear to know she wasn't hallucinating. She crashed into the woman's expectant arms and laughed as the tears ran down her face.  
_  
"Have some faith Bethy,"_ her father's words filled her thoughts.

**A/N: **So! I've decided that I'm going to start updating on Sunday's! Then it's as if we're waiting for the Walking Dead show to air! Lol. Plus it's easier for me to get writing done here and there during the week, Nicole137137 to edit over the weekend, and update on Sunday. It gives me a set deadline rather than just "I'll upload once a week." It's more than likely be Sunday evenings too.

This is probably my most favorite chapter to date! Was super excited writing this and got it typed in literally less than 24 hours! Let me know what you guys think and leave me some feedback!

To all my mom readers out there...HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! Treat yourself to something nice and I hope this chapter brings you a small escape! XOXO


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** A nod to the genius Robert Kirkman for creating this wonderfully dark, post-apocalyptic world. I do not own or have rights to any of the characters/plot of this series. I'm simply a fan indulging in my post-apocalyptic fantasies.

**A/N: **As always...**THANK YOU** Nicole137137 for your amazing editing!

I have a favor to ask guys. Nicole137137 is aspiring to interview Norman Reedus (Daryl Dixon). She has a twitter page (at sign)Quest4Interview and if you guys who have a twitter could follow her and show her support, I would be so grateful! She's an awesome person and I would love for her dream to come true!

...

Beth couldn't believe her eyes. She held her arms snuggly around the woman and child before pulling back to make sure she wasn't in fact still blissfully asleep and had conjured them up in a dream.

"_Carol?_" She breathed.

A tugging on her blond hair pulled her gaze from Carol's tentative smile to the bundle on her hip, "Judith!"

Beth scooped up the little one and hugged her tightly to her chest. Cradling Judith's head she held her out enough to look at her face. Judith's smile melted her heart. The complete trust in her crystal blue eyes, rosy cheeks from being out in the heat, and little spots of white coming through her gums; visible because of her enormous smile.

"Hey sweet girl," Beth sniffled, laughing through tears.

"Are you by yourself?" Tyreese asked gently from behind Carol.

Before Tyreese could finish his sentence, Rick stumbled out of the tree line, tripping over his feet to get to Beth. Beth turned to face Rick, noticing Daryl and Carl breaking through the trees, and smiled so wide her cheeks ached.

"Judith," Rick whispered, falling to his knees in front of Beth. He didn't reach out, didn't move to take the baby from Beth's arms. Rather, he stared in shock and disbelief at his small child whose hands were playing with Beth's long ponytail.

Carl bounded up beside his father, tears staining his cheeks. He gave Beth a look and she immediately handed him his sister, careful to untangle her chubby fingers from her hair.

"Hey Jude," Carl smiled, "I _missed_ you."

"How?" Rick croaked.

"It was Carol," Tyreese answered, "I had Mika, Lizzie, and Judith. We all got out together. I was trying to help some folks at the train tracks, I left the girls with a gun, and Carol…she just appeared out of thin air with Mika and Lizzie; Judith as happy as could be on her hip."

Rick seemed to have finally gotten himself together. He ran a hand down his face, wiping any evidence of his shock away, and stood. He put a hand on Carl's shoulder and cupped his other around Judith's soft cheek.

"Thank you," Rick's voice full of so much emotion that Beth felt her heart ache.

He then took Judith from Carl and held her to his chest; much in the way that Beth had a moment ago, rocking her back and forth. His voice was barely above a whisper, but Beth was able to make out the words, "Thank you so much."

Beth faced Tyreese and Carol, attempting to give Rick and Carl more privacy in their reunion, "Where are Lizzie and Mika?"

Carol, who was looking past Beth to Daryl, lingering a few paces behind Rick and Carl, dropped her gaze to the ground. The tension rose and Beth _knew_. She didn't have to be told, she knew the girls were no longer among them, and that they too had been spared the pain and misery of this new world.

"Was it walkers?" Beth reached out and took Carol's hand.

Carol took a deep breath and looked up, "No."

Beth nodded. She was relieved and disturbed all at the same time. The fact that their young lives didn't end at the hands of walkers was a blessing, however, if walkers didn't kill them that meant a person had. There was a chance that they could have had some sort of tragic accident, maybe ate something poisonous, but Carol's reaction said otherwise.

"I didn't let them turn," Carol stated with finality.

"I'm so _sorry_," was all Beth could reply with.

Daryl cleared his throat behind them, "We should get back. The rest ah' everyone are prolly wonderin' what happened and we're pretty exposed out here."

Beth gave Carol's hand a tight squeeze and released her grasp. Rick, still hugging Judith, and Carl were already walking back when Beth diverted her attention from Carol. She glanced at Daryl, the two having not spoken since the previous night, who nodded in her direction.

Instead of following her, he took a few steps toward Carol. She gave a small smile when Carol wrapped her arms around his neck as he stood awkwardly. Leave it to Daryl to not even be able to reciprocate an 'I'm glad you're not dead' hug.

"Are you guys headed to Terminus?" Tyreese asked while walking beside her.

"Terminus?" Beth couldn't help but mockingly laugh at the idea, "The people in Terminus locked us up in a boxcar for two days."

"You can't be serious," Tyreese's expression displayed his utter disappointment.

"We went in hoping for sanctuary and found ourselves in the middle of a cannibalistic society," Beth's tone bitter.

"_Cannibals?_" He repeated in disbelief.

"They have rail cars full of people," Beth confirmed, "This crazy room with cryptic writing and what looked like people's valuables. It was like a sacrificial chamber or something. As we were running, trying to get out, we passed this fenced in area. There were bones with fresh meat still clinging to them. The 'welcome' lady was serving meat on paper plates. What would you have thought?"

Tyreese didn't bother replying. The evidence she presented spoke for itself. Even if they weren't cannibals, locking people up in a metal box was enough to keep anyone who valued their lives away from Terminus.

Beth climbed the embankment with relative ease. Her ribs only projected a dull ache when she moved and her head had been clear since the night before. She smiled to herself, biting her lip to keep from giving Tyreese good news that would undermine the importance of everything she had just revealed in regards to Terminus.

Daryl and Carol were close behind, having their own private conversation. Maggie and Sasha had both rushed to Rick and were fawning over Judith. A sharp intake of breath beside her made Beth giggle softly.

"I didn't want to ruin the surprise, but we found Sasha in Terminus," Beth explained.

As soon as the words left her mouth, the brother and sister were embracing in a hug that looked almost painful. Tyreese lifted Sasha off the ground and the two were spinning in a circle, laughing and crying at the same time.

Then Beth felt it. It was subtle at first, and then grew each moment she stood there, watching everyone hugging and welcoming new and old into their group. Exchanges and introductions were given. The morale shot through the roof and Beth felt it; hope. With everything that had happened to her since losing her father, the fire had waned. It had always been there, but finding Judith, being reunited with Maggie and Glenn, surviving so that she could get back to Daryl all fanned the flames that had begun to die.

That's when she knew that everything had changed. The strong urge to protect had always been within her, but in that moment, Beth knew she had changed. Being separated from Judith had made it evident to her how much she had really cared for the child on a maternal level. Being separated from Maggie and Glenn had shown her how important family truly was in their post-apocalyptic hell. Being separated from Daryl, it became clear to her that she could survive on her own. That she was just as strong as Maggie, Michonne, and Carol in her own way. She had changed and she would do anything for the ones who had changed her.

…

"I'll get some firewood," Maggie stated quietly, attempting to hand a drowsy Judith over to Beth.

"You just got her," Beth stood and dusted her pants, "Keep her. I'll get plenty of time with her later."

"You sure?" Maggie asked.

"Positive," Beth nodded.

"Thanks," Maggie smiled and cuddled with the sleepy baby in her arms.

Beth quietly tiptoed around Maggie to grab one of the stakes Rick had carved with his pocketknife. The guns Michonne and Abraham acquired, along with their stash Rick had buried, were not to be fired for any reason. Michonne and Abraham had made good use of the stocks, bludgeoning walker's head in, but the rest of them were virtually defenseless. They had come across the herd so sudden that Rick hadn't had time to divide the rifles amongst them.

Sifting through and finding one that fit her hand the best, Beth left the proximity of camp in search of fallen tree limbs. She could no longer see Maggie when she heard voices. She didn't recognize them immediately, as they spoke so quietly that Beth could barely hear them period, but as she crept closer she heard Rick and Carol talking.

"Tyreese knows," Carol said matter-of-factly.

"Good…that's good," Rick stood with his hands on his hips, staring down at the ground.

There was a lull in their conversation and Beth turned to move away when Carol spoke again.

"He knows why I did it. He knows that Karen and David wouldn't have made it by the time we got medicine. They would have turned. He understands. He knows I was only trying to protect everyone by keeping the illness from spreading," Carol continued in the same tone as before.

"That'll make things easier then," Rick nodded, still staring at his feet.

"He…he forgave me," Carol's voice wavered for the first time.

Beth tried to process what she had just heard from Carol. She knew Karen and David had been murdered and burnt just outside of the prison, but they had never found out who had done it. To hear Carol admit to these horrific crimes was shocking. Then again, Beth wasn't sure she could consider what Carol had done as horrific.

Karen and David hadn't deserved to be killed before their time, they hadn't deserved to be burned instead of given a proper burial, but the reasoning behind Carol's actions were noble. There was no way of knowing whether Karen and David would have survived until Daryl and the group had found the medicine in the veterinarian college, but at the rate many of the others had died _after_ Karen and David; Beth doubted they would have lasted long enough. Carol was trying to keep the sickness from spreading, from claiming more lives, and she had taken matters into her own hands.

Beth didn't think she could have done what Carol had. Murder was wrong no matter what the justifications were, but in the same respect, Carol had done so with the group's best interest at heart. She had done something good in the worst way. Beth would never agree that murder was an option. She had taken two lives herself and now she had to live with the guilt, but if Tyreese could forgive Carol, then Beth wasn't going to judge.

Carol did what needed to be done. She reminded Beth a lot of Daryl in that regard. She had flourished in the apocalypse; just like Daryl had. The difference between them was that Daryl confided in Rick, had confided in her father, and they worked out the best option with the choices they were given. Carol took matters in her own hands and worried about the consequences later.

"You know why I had to send you away," Rick's demeanor now made sense to Beth; he felt guilty.

"I do," Carol pressed her lips into a sad smile, "I don't have any hard feelings Rick. You did what you thought was best for the group, just like I did."

"Don't make either of our choices right Carol," Rick finally looked up a Carol.

"The lines between right and wrong blurred the moment the dead began walking the earth," Carol countered.

"It don't make it any easier then," Rick sighed.

"Life's never been easy," Carol agreed.

There was another silence. Beth knew she needed to give them their privacy. Her father would be ashamed of her for eavesdropping, but she couldn't bring herself to move.

"I'll never be able to repay you for keepin' my baby girl alive," Rick rubbed his chin with his palm.

"You did everything you could to find Sophia. Think of us as even," Carol smiled, reaching out to grab Rick's bicep, "and don't feel guilty for sending me away. If you hadn't, I would have been at the prison when the Governor attacked. There would be a good chance that I wouldn't have found the girls and I wouldn't have been able to keep Judith safe."

Rick's shoulders slumped and he looked haggard. Beth couldn't imagine the thoughts running through his head as he stood there, but she recognized the immense feeling of gratitude she felt towards Carol at hearing what could have been.

"Come'on," Carol patted his arm a few times before nodding in the direction of camp, "let's go see what Daryl and Michonne have found out."

Rick hummed in agreement and the two of them walked back to camp. Beth stayed in her crouched position for what felt like hours, collecting her thoughts. She saw Carol in a new light. She knew Carol had stopped being the weak, abused wife long ago. That part of her had died the moment Rick ended Sophia's undead life. This Carol, the 'Carol from the prison,' was the product of the apocalypse. Beth respected her, even if she didn't agree with all of her decisions.

Standing, her legs aching from being locked for so long, Beth stretched her arms above her head. Intent on finding the firewood she had been in a quest for earlier, she froze when she heard shuffling. She thought maybe Rick or Carol had come back to check on her, but the sound was erratic, uneven.

"_Walker_," she whispered to herself.

She tightened her grip on the wooden picket in her hand and quietly approached the sound. If it was just one or two, she could handle them. Any more than that would be debatable upon the quantity. She used the trees for cover, hiding behind their trunks to keep out of sight, as she assessed how many walkers were headed for their camp.

At first she only saw a few, stragglers from the herd that had been moving toward Terminus she guessed, and she had every intention of running back to camp, grabbing a few spare bodies and taking care of the lot. Then they began to amass from the trees. A few soon turned into a couple dozen and Beth knew she had to get back to camp and warn everyone. A branch snapping to her right ripped her attention away from the walkers she was spying on and had her poised to sink her stake into an approaching walkers head.

"Shit Daryl," Beth hissed, "you can't _do_ that."

"How many d'you see," Daryl whispered, jutting his chin toward the walkers behind them.

"Was only a few a first, then they started comin' out of the woodwork. I counted nearly thirty," Beth answered, getting control of her breathing.

"Let's get back. We gotta' move," Daryl replied.

Beth nodded and hurriedly slunk through the trees behind him, "You have any luck with the termite?"

"Termite?" Daryl glanced back and quirked a brow at her, "Yeah. We got some stuff outta' him."

Beth caught a glimpse of Daryl's bloody knuckles. It was like the situation with Randall all over again. She understood the necessity of beating the information out of a person who refused to talk, but that didn't mean she'd ever like it. At the moment though, her feelings didn't matter, they had to get back to camp quickly. They couldn't invade Terminus if they all joined the legion of the undead.

They made the trip back to camp as stealthily as possible, "We got walkers comin' our way. We gotta' move," Daryl announced immediately.

Everyone began moving on auto-pilot. Everyone made sure they had a weapon in hand and the lack of surprise or fear saddened Beth. This was their life now. Run when there were too many walkers to take on, fight when it was manageable, and keep on the move.

"How many?" Abraham asked from across the camp.

"I counted nearly thirty before Daryl found me," Beth answered.

She moved to Maggie, still holding Judith, and took the baby from her, "I've got Judith, you go get a weapon."

Maggie nodded, rushing over to grab a sharpened piece of wood.

"I've got a makeshift carrier we used for her," Tyreese gestured to the backpack in his hand.

"Thanks," Beth slipped the backpack in front of her, not feeling comfortable with having her on her back. Tyreese helped her adjust the straps and Beth slid Judith inside.

"Where do we go?" Glenn yelled. He and Maggie were helping Tara support her weight. Her ankle was better, but any exertion would risk damaging the healing muscles.

"Up the tracks, away from Terminus," Rick hollered back.

"What about him?" Rosita gestured at their hostage leaning, bleeding and broken, against the base of a tree trunk.

"We can't leave him," Sasha reasoned.

"Let'em loose. Let him take his chances on his own," Daryl spoke up, "Make it quick. We gotta' go."

Sasha quickly unfastened the belt wrapped around the man's wrist. He took off into the woods the moment his hands were free enough to move. Beth wished him luck, and even though the man was put in danger by being dragged away from Terminus with them, they needed the information to free the prisoners locked within the 'sanctuary.'

They were on the run by the time the first groans of the walkers could be heard.

…

The area looked familiar. Beth took in the sight of the old blue Blazer that they had sought refuge in just a few days ago. It was the closest safe haven they knew of. The only other option was the tunnel Glenn and Maggie spoke of, but no one seemed too excited about hiding in a collapsed tunnel full of walkers. If the herd came their way, they'd be trapped with walkers on either side.

It was much farther than they wanted to walk, but with a small hoard on their coattails, they needed a place that would keep whoever kept Judith hidden and out of reach. Beth hadn't paid much mind before, but looking at the driver's side, rear door of the vehicle, she could see a decent sized indention where she had unwillingly distorted her body.

Approaching the Blazer, large splatters of blood covered the asphalt. Beth wasn't sure if anyone paid attention to such things anymore, or if it was because she knew who the blood had belonged to and why it repainted the black surface, but there was so much more blood than she remembered.

The place where they had piled the corpses was now just a pile of bones, picked clean by walkers and scavenging animals alike. It was sad. Even though these men were the detestable sort of human beings that would've been locked away _before_, a person still deserved to be laid to rest.

"We'll camp here for tonight, come up with ah' plan, and head out at first light. We can't afford to waste any more time with all the walkers in the area," Rick affirmed.

Beth's back muscles ached. Granted she thought she kept herself in decent physical condition, it was pretty well impossible not to nowadays, but the muscles she used supporting a forward-facing backpack were different than the ones she used while wielding her crossbow.

Pulling Judith out of the backpack, Beth let the bag fall to the ground gracelessly. Her ribs throbbed a bit at the change in pressure, but quickly faded when she became accustomed to no longer wearing the backpack. Propping Judith on her hip, Beth walked to stand beside Maggie and the rest of the group.

"First thing we gotta' sort out is who stays here with Judith," Rick cut to the chase.

Hearing her name, Judith smiled, slapping her plump hands against Beth's cheeks. Beth bounced her a couple of times, rubbing her nose against Judith's in classic 'Eskimo kiss' fashion, trying to keep her occupied while the group discussed what to do. She had already come to terms with taking over as Judith's surrogate mom. It was her main form of contribution in the prison and even though she had changed, she didn't expect everyone's view of her to be any different.

"I won't be able to do much good with my ankle fucked up the way it is. I can stay in the car with her. It'd be the safest place for both of us," Tara offered.

Beth's grip tightened around Judith. Glenn trusting Tara was one thing, but trusting Tara with Judith? Beth wasn't going for that, "I'll stay with her too. I can help out if something goes wrong."

Rick must have had the same thoughts as Beth because he visibly relaxed at her offer, "I'd appreciate it if you did."

"Beth ain't stayin'," Daryl announced.

"I'm not?" "She's not?" Maggie and Beth said at the same time.

"She's good with a crossbow. I seen her. I'm gonna' need her help takin' out the snipers on the roof. We go in with guns'ah blazin', all we're gonna' get is shot," Daryl explained.

"You got 'ah point," Rick agreed.

"I'll stay," Carol offered, "I'm an old woman. I need my rest. All this traveling has these bones worn out."

Carol may have been joking; she was far from an 'old woman,' but her statement left no room for argument. Beth knew Carol would keep Judith safe, she'd done so the past few months, and her offer allowed the group piece of mind.

"Eugene needs to stay behind as well. He's a shit shot and we can't risk his life," Abraham stated.

"One isolated incident does not suggest that my accuracy is below average," Eugene defended.

"_Below _average? You shot our freakin' truck Eugene," Rosita huffed, "It was a M925, _five-ton_,Army troop-transporter. Don't sit there and try to act like you can shoot. You wouldn't be able to hit the broad side of a barn."

"That's enough Rosita," Abraham reprimanded.

"I have already acknowledged my ignorance in regards to rapid firing weapons. I agree to stay behind and keep the ladies company while we guard the child," Eugene professed.

"Jesus…," Rosita sighed, "You're gonna' make me stay with him aren't you?"

"Yes ma'am. I need someone here that I know can handle this," Abraham said while removing the automatic rifle he'd slung over his chest.

"Fine…" Rosita rolled her eyes.

"Well if that's all settled, we just have the matter of how to go about getting into the armory and equipping ourselves before we take on Terminus," Rick furrowed his brows, squinting from the glaring sun.

"How many guns we got?" Daryl shifted his weight.

"I got my Python, couple'ah rifles, but not enough for everyone," Rick unzipped the bag carrying the guns.

They'd come close to having to use them when they ran into the herd, but in doing so, they would have sacrificed their chances of getting back into Terminus and ultimately leaving all those innocent people to die. Beth was glad Rick had been the one to make the call because she wasn't sure she would have had the self-discipline not to panic and start blasting walker's head off.

"I won't need a rifle once I get my katana," Michonne interjected, "Problem is getting to that part of the plan. None of this can happen unless the intel we got from that asshole is accurate."

"I know," Rick sighed, "We can't all go in at once. We'll attract too much attention."

"What if we assign everyone a specific objective?" Bob suggested.

"That's a good idea," Abraham agreed, "Divide and conquer."

"Alright. This is what we'll do," Rick crossed his arms over his chest, thinking carefully before he spoke, "Glenn, Daryl, Tyreese, Abraham, and I will scout the fence line. I'm sure they've upped security with all the walkers and us makin' our escape. We'll have to first deal with the walkers, assuming they haven't already. If there's too many we'll have to consider going 'round to another part of the fence."

"We came in the front entrance. That gate is completely open; there's no cover. Our best option, if the way you guys snuck in isn't going to work, is to check the other two sides," Glenn added.

"Yeah, I walked the fence line ah'ways when we first got there," Daryl commented, "There's a few places we'd be able to get some coverage."

"Good. We get the fence line sorted out; we'll sneak in just like we did when we snuck out, in pairs. Abraham, you've had the most weapons training. You'll take Michonne's gun. Provide cover in case things go sideways before everyone's able to get in."

"I can do that," Abraham nodded.

"We'll find a spot to hide out. I have enough guns for myself, Glenn, Maggie, and Sasha. Tyreese you still got your hammer?"

"Yeah. I still got it," Tyreese gestured to his backpack.

"I have a gun," Carol offered the small pistol to Rick.

"You keep it. You might need it," Rick pushed the gun back to Carol gently.

Judith tugged on Beth's necklace, pulling her attention away from their discussion. Taking the silver charm away, Beth slid a few bracelets off her wrist and gave them to the spoiled bundle to keep her occupied.

"Alright then," Rick continued, "Michonne and Daryl know the layout best accordin' to what our friend told us. Beth will go with the pair of you and get the weapons and bring them back to us. Then Daryl 'n Beth need to find a way t'get on the roof and take out the snipers. You're gonna' have to shoot for the head. We can't afford them turnin' on us. We're gonna' have enough trouble on our hands once they figure out they're under attack."

"We'll handle it," Daryl answered, glancing at Beth and giving her a nod.

"We take out their snipers and we can handle the rest. People are going to be armed. We gotta' be prepared for anyone we come across, but we should be fine so long as the whole community can't get ahold of a weapon. Once Beth and Daryl have us a way cleared to the rail cars we'll start letting people out. The more people we can get out and on our side, the less of a chance the people of Terminus have," Rick finished.

"What about Gareth?" the venom in Carl's voice was unsettling.

"Carl…I think it's best if you stay with your sister," Rick's tone taking on a paternal note.

"No way. You know I'm a good shot. You're going to need me," Carl argued.

Rick was quiet for a long moment. Beth could see the inner turmoil Rick was facing. Carl, by the standards of the world _before_ was still a child, however the fall of societal norms and ways of their new world placed Carl in a different category. He was an excellent shot, small and agile, and quick on his feet. He was the type of person you wanted watching your back. The father side of Rick and the post-apocalyptic side often were at odds with each other.

"Alright, but you stay by me at _all_ times," Rick relented, "As soon as we get the people out of the boxcars, we go after Gareth. We take out the ringleader and we can get everyone else to fall in line. If they don't…"

Rick didn't need to finish his sentence for Beth to understand what he was getting at. If they didn't join Rick's side there wouldn't be any other option for them.

"Everyone understand the plan?" Rick inquired, "Then let's try to get some rest. We can take turns catching some sleep in the car. We got a big day tomorrow."

Everyone dispersed and Beth was left with a heavy feeling. Glancing around, watching as everyone went in their own directions, she realized that tomorrow their group could be dwindled down. If things went bad they could all be killed. Beth stared down into the big, blue eyes of a smiling child and wondered why life had to be so twisted.

…

The sun had long since set, but Beth didn't pay any mind. She was too busy working out all the possible things that could go wrong in their impending excursion. She was whole-heartedly for saving those innocent people, but she was so scared of what they could lose in the battle.

"Where ya' at?" A gruff voice asked as he sat beside her.

Beth was sitting across the fire from Eugene and Abraham; the two having a quiet conversation. Bob, Maggie, Glenn, and Michonne were getting some sleep. Tyreese and Sasha leaned against the Blazer acting as guard, and Rick was seated next to Carl playing with Judith. Last she had seen; Daryl and Carol had been against the front of the Blazer talking.

"Nowhere," Beth lied smoothly.

There was a companionable silence and Beth sighed.

"You worried 'bout tomorrow?" Daryl asked.

"Would you believe me if I said I wasn't?" Beth smiled and turned to him.

"Hell no," Daryl smirked.

"Are you?" Beth turned the question around.

"Lotta' things could go wrong," Daryl stated what she had been thinking.

"Yeah," Beth sighed again.

Another silence stretched between them.

"You catch up with Carol?" Beth shifted where she sat to stretch her back.

"Yeah," Daryl didn't elaborate.

"That's good," Beth hummed.

By the third lull in conversation Beth could feel something was off with Daryl. He was wound up as much as what Beth would consider 'normal,' but there was something else. He had something on his mind. She watched as he chewed on his bottom lip, the way he kept glancing at her from the corner of his eyes, and when he reached up to rub the back of his neck, Beth had had enough.

"What is it?" Beth squinted her eyes at him.

"What's what?" Daryl feigned confusion.

"Don't give me that. What are you not tellin' me?" Beth propped her chin on her palm, her knee supporting her elbow.

"That concussion make yer' brain quit workin'?" Daryl glared at her.

"Not gonna' work," Beth shook her head, swaying her palm from side to side.

Daryl took a deep breath and suddenly Beth felt nervous.

"Earlier, when I said you needed to come with us," Daryl's voice trailed off.

"I believe it was more 'Beth ain't stayin'," Beth corrected.

"I know what I said," Daryl grumbled.

"What about it?" Beth shrugged.

Daryl chewed on his thumb nail, not immediately answering. Beth was losing her patience. It wasn't like Daryl to tiptoe around a subject. Reaching out with her left hand she grabbed his hand, her thumb inadvertently grazing his bottom lip. The look Daryl gave her made her yank her hand back.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"You got more to offer 'n just keepin' lil' asskicker. S'all I was tryin' t'say," Daryl murmured, his eyes locking with hers.

"Oh," Beth managed to reply.

For some reason she was having a hard time breathing. Maybe it was her anxiety? The smoke from their campfire? She knew it _definitely_ didn't have anything to do with the intensity behind Daryl's eyes.

Daryl reached over and pulled her hand back into the light of the fire. Having given Judith several of her bracelets earlier, the skin she tried to subtly keep covered was more exposed. Daryl brushed his thumb over the raised skin that ran the width of her wrist. Beth watched his thumb with morbid fascination.

If anyone else was paying attention to them, Beth was oblivious. She was completely enraptured in Daryl voluntarily making a sort of intimate contact with her. It was innocent enough that most people wouldn't pay much mind to such an action, but coming from Daryl, the act spoke volumes.

"It's a reminder," Beth finally managed to speak.

"That you tried to cop out?" Daryl's words harsh as he whispered.

"Not to lose hope," Beth amended, "and that I was selfish. As long as there are people here who need me, I'll keep fighting."

Daryl looked up from her wrist, his thumb still tracing idle circles along her skin. There was something in the look he gave her that made Beth feel she had said something that resonated with him. She had been on the receiving end of many a glare from Daryl. She had gotten used to how intimidating he could be, but this look…this meant something completely different. She had the same overwhelming feeling she'd had when they were first trapped in the boxcar. Even though Daryl was keeping his distance, the feeling was there.

Then, as if he'd remembered there were people around, he let go of her hand and faced the fire. Confused Beth continued staring at him, not sure why he had suddenly went so cold.

"You should get some sleep. We gotta' long trip back tomorrow morning," he wouldn't look at her.

"Uh. Yeah? Sure," Beth mumbled, utterly perplexed, "I'll see ya' in the morning."

Daryl grunted, but otherwise brushed her off. Shaking her head, Beth walked over to Rick and kissed Judith on the top of her head, bidding them all a goodnight. She risked one more glance at Daryl only to find the spot he'd been seated was vacant.

Furrowing her brows, she walked to the passenger side of the Blazer and roused Bob from his slumber. Rick and Carl would soon take Maggie and Glenn's place and Beth knew she needed to get some sleep in case Judith refused to cooperate and let her family members get any rest.

Whatever was going on with Daryl she would figure out after Terminus, if they all lived that long. He had something he wasn't telling her. Then again, so did she. She needed to talk to him about Carol. She wouldn't tell Carol's business, but she thought maybe Carol could use someone who might understand what she'd done and why she'd done it. Beth would simply drop hints so that Daryl would be able to connect enough dots to speak with Carol.

As her eyes slid shut, the last image in her head was the look in Daryl's eyes while he had caressed the reminder of self-worth on her wrist. Stranger still was the fact that she had _let_ him touch the scar she kept hidden and out of reach from everyone around her. Something had definitely changed between them and Beth wasn't sure if this excited her or if she was terrified.

She dreamt of crystal blue eyes, laughter, and life _before_ everything had become so complicated.

**A/N: **Credit to boothandbones4ever at fanficion dot net for the wonderful "termite" reference I utilized in this chapter. It was too awesome not to use! XOXO

Also, before you guys freak out! I promise all will be explained in the next chapter of why Beth didn't push Daryl at the end! : ) Leave me some love and let me know what you think!


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** A nod to the genius Robert Kirkman for creating this wonderfully dark, post-apocalyptic world. I do not own or have rights to any of the characters/plot of this series. I'm simply a fan indulging in my post-apocalyptic fantasies.

**A/N: **As always...**THANK YOU** Nicole137137 for editing this chapter and letting me bounce off ideas with you! You do such an amazing job!

...

Beth awoke to the sun's rays on her face. Her neck was stiff from being angled against the passenger side seat when she had turned to get more comfortable in her sleep. She sat up, adjusted her ponytail that had been rearranged per the seat she slept in, and saw Abraham in the driver's seat snoozing. She felt a bit awkward, waking up near a sleeping man that she's only mixed a few words with, but such was life now.

She glanced in the back to find Rick and Carl asleep, lying on the floor of the cargo area at the back of the Blazer. Judith was nowhere to be seen. Beth felt a twinge of panic creep up her throat. She leaned forward and looked through the dusty windshield, hoping the baby was in the arms of someone around the fire.

Carol, Michonne, Rosita, and Tara were all huddled on one side, Michonne less 'huddled' than the other three, talking. Bob, Sasha, Maggie, and Glenn sat across from them talking much in the same fashion. Eugene was standing off to the side doing whatever it was Eugene did, but Judith was nowhere in sight. She didn't see Daryl either.

Turning in her chair with the intention of alerting Rick, her attention was caught by movement out of the rear window on her side of the vehicle. Daryl, holding Judith, was pacing back and forth. He had a bottle in hand and was feeding Judith. Beth wondered if Daryl had even taken time to sleep.

She quietly opened the door; its hinges creaking in protest, and pushed it closed as gently as possible. Abraham stirred, but the others remained oblivious to the world. She couldn't see Rick and Carl, but when how little any of them had slept, she doubted she had woken them knowing how little any of them had slept. She doubted at this point that even the dead could wake them. That thought did not sit well with her.

Daryl had his back to her, pacing away from the vehicle, as she began approaching them. He must have heard the gravel crunching under her feet because he glanced over his shoulder at her.

"Hey," she managed an awkward wave.

Daryl just gave her a nod and continued pacing.

Beth furrowed her brows. Daryl wasn't the most talkative person that Beth had come across, but he usually at least returned her greetings. Shoving her hands in her pockets, Beth stood still, watching Daryl come to the end of his pace and turn around to start over again in her direction.

She knew that if Daryl had Judith it meant that she either got fussy and Carol hadn't been able to get her happy or that he was giving everyone a break. Daryl was one of the few, next to herself and Carol, that could usually get Judith to stop crying. From time to time he had come to get Judith 'just because,' but he'd generally been too busy with responsibilities around the prison to spend time with his lil' asskicker. Beth had always secretly thought that Daryl tried to stay away because he didn't want Judith getting attached to him. He'd go a few days without seeing her, but the moment he stepped into the room, Judith's eyes filled with stars and Beth could see Daryl's heart melt all over again. It was impossible for anyone not to love Judith. She was too adorable and embodied everything that _could be_ in their world.

"You givin' Carol a break?" Beth asked softly.

"Nah, lil' asskicker got fussy. Told 'em not to wake ya'," Daryl replied.

Beth looked up to Daryl and smile, however, he quickly averted his gaze to Judith.

The moment Judith heard Beth's voice it was over. Her bottle was forgotten and she was sitting up in Daryl's arms trying to reach for her. Beth couldn't help but shake her head and smile. Judith may have had a lot of 'moms' in their little band of survivors, but Beth had always been her favorite. She had a special bond with Judith. They had needed each other. Judith needed someone to lovingly care for her like a mother would and Beth had needed to be _needed. _Tofeel like she was contributing to the group. Judith's life had given her a purpose when Beth felt all hope slipping through her fingers. She carried on because of Maggie and her father, but Judith was the one who brought her out of the darkness.

"Come'ere sweet girl," Beth cooed, reaching around Daryl to take the baby from his arms.

Judith immediately went for Beth's necklace, grabbing the charm and trying to put it in her mouth.

"Where are the bracelets I gave you? Hmm?" Beth asked Judith as if she expected her to reply.

Daryl walked off, leaving Beth confused; she asked Judith "Do you know what's wrong with Mr. Dixon?"

Daryl reappeared from around the front of the vehicle a moment later, bracelets in hand, and gave them to Judith. Beth's necklace was soon forgotten and the bracelets occupied Judith's mouth.

"Gonna' have t'watch her. Bracelets aren't exactly teething rings, but it's the best we can do. Just gotta' make sure she doesn't break one and end up choking on the beads," Beth kept her gaze on the child in her arms.

"Yeah," Daryl breathed and then he walked past them towards the woods.

Beth raised an eyebrow at Daryl's retreating form, "Seriously Jude, what is _wrong_ with him?"

Beth stared into the woods a bit longer, sighed, and went to join those awake around the small fire.

"G'mornin' Beth," Carol greeted her.

"Not for all of us," Beth grumbled under her breath.

"_Someone_ woke up on the wrong side of the bed," Maggie teased.

"Not me. I slept just fine," Beth defended.

"Who's the grump?" Rosita chimed in.

Beth sometimes found it odd how quickly people adjusted to being immersed into a new group. Then again, the people who had survived thus far had to adapt quickly, or they didn't live to join new groups.

"Daryl," Beth sighed his name, "he was fine last night."

Beth thought about finishing her statement. He _had_ been fine last night, right until he sent her to bed like a child.

"He's just worried about everyone and things going smooth in Terminus," Carol patted the ground next to her for Beth to sit down.

Beth collapsed on the ground, careful not to jostle Judith, "I guess."

Carol resumed her conversation with Tara and Beth was left to stew on her thoughts. She and Daryl had had a heart-to-heart last night. He had defended her in regards to being sidelined from going to Terminus. He had enough respect for her that he had explained himself later that night. He knew that she put Judith first; that she would stay with the baby before she'd stand up for herself and say she would be of more use helping them in Terminus. He had made her feel like an equal. Then, when he had held her wrist, he had made her feel something else entirely.

Tilting her head to the side in thought, Beth had an epiphany. She had been too caught up in the action of Daryl initiating contact to realize she had _let_ him push her away at the end. She had _let_ him get away with shutting down the moment she got too close.

Beth cut her eyes to the woods. That explained his vanishing act last night, his distance this morning, and the fact that he had practically run away from her into walker invested woods. She hadn't even done anything. It was him. It was _all_ him. He had reached for her last night, he had made all the confessions, and he was the one that said she needed to come with them to Terminus.

Beth was _livid_.

If that redneck thought he was going to get away with pushing her out just because he started something he didn't know how to handle, then he had severely underestimated her. She didn't even know what he had _started_. She just knew it was the principal of the matter. They were supposed to be at a point where they could talk to one another. He had let her in more last night than ever before. Beth had felt the change.

She wasn't just someone he could throw out with the trash whenever he felt like it and she was going to make _damn_ sure he knew it.

…

"So everyone knows the plan?" Rick questioned.

It was mid-afternoon. Daryl had managed to catch a few squirrels and Carol took it upon herself to clean and cook them. Beth had offered to help, but Carol tutted her and said she needed to conserve all her energy for staying alive when they reached Terminus.

Now that everyone was fed and rested, Rick had suggested they get a move on. It was going to take several hours to walk back to the fence from which they had escaped. Their plan depended on them having the element of surprise and they would need the cover of darkness to aide them.

"We'll cut through the woods, like we did last time, at the fallen sign. Be on the lookout for walkers. I doubt they'd let them bunch up at the fences, but in case the walkers didn't get that far, we're gonna' have to figure out a way around them," Rick finished.

Beth knew the plan. She had gone over every possible situation and outcome at least a dozen times, trying to prepare for what could happen once they were within the fences of Terminus. She knew that if they were caught, they likely wouldn't be locked up in another rail car. Their fate would be far worse than that.

"I want to come with you guys," Bob spoke up.

Rick looked to Daryl. Beth wasn't sure what the look was supposed to mean, but Daryl didn't look pleased.

"Look. I'm off the bottle. I haven't had a drink in months. Ask Sasha...Maggie...anybody! I can help. I _need_ to help. I've got medical training. I stay out of the way and make sure everyone gets out of there alive," Bob argued his case.

"Don't make promises _you_ can't keep," Daryl practically growled.

"Daryl?" Rick questioned.

Daryl stared at Bob for a long while. His eyes literally picked the man apart. He then flicked his gaze to Beth and she raised a brow at him.

"You fuck up one time...I'll kill you myself," Daryl announced and then turned his back to Bob.

Unsure of what had just transpired; Beth approached Carol, waiting patiently for Rick and Carl to finish giving their love to Judith. When Rick stepped aside, making Beth visible, Judith wailed happily and began leaning out of Carol's arms to reach for Beth. Stepping forward and taking the baby, she couldn't help but smile at how her necklace automatically went to the child's mouth.

"Alright Jude, you know you can't chew on my necklace," Beth giggled, prying the charm from Judith's slobbery grip.

Judith squirmed in her arms, pulling at Beth's shirt and walking up the material that covered her stomach in order to get a higher vantage point in Beth's hold. Beth hefted her up, crossing her arms under Judith's bottom and letting her sit on her forearms, and cradled her to her chest.

"You have turned into such a handful!" Beth couldn't help but plant a series of kisses on Judith's rosy cheeks, "You be a good girl for Carol, ya' hear?"

Judith cooed and squealed in response.

"This isn't goodbye," Carol said firmly, "This is just 'we'll see you later.'"

Beth nodded, blinking quickly to keep the moisture out of her eyes, "I'll see you soon sweet girl."

Beth gave a lingering kiss to Judith's forehead and handed her back to Carol. She patted down Judith's growing hair and smiled at the cheesy grin the baby gave her. Stroking her cheek, Beth let her hand drop. She then took a deep breath and lifted the tattered string that held her heart charm around her neck.

"In case…" Beth took another steadying breath, "If we're not back in two days' time. You _leave_. I know Rick's already talked to you, but I want you to promise me that you'll take Judith and you guys will get away."

Carol held Beth's gaze, tightening her lips into a thin line, "I promise."

"I want you to keep this," Beth handed over the necklace, "Just in case…"

"This isn't _goodbye,_" Carol reiterated, voice wavering.

"It's just in case. I want her to have something of mine," Beth smiled at Judith's searching gaze, "If I make it out and you guys are gone. I'll find you. I won't stop looking until I find you."

Carol nodded, her eyes turning red with unshed tears.

"I _promise_," Beth finished speaking directly to Judith.

She gave Judith one last kiss on the cheek and reached around to hug both her and Carol tightly. After a few seconds, Beth released them, gave them one last look over, and turned to join Rick and the rest of the insurgents. Daryl was standing a few steps behind her, witnessing her private exchange. Beth spared him a glare and walked passed him. She could feel Daryl's eyes follow her, but she didn't look back. If she looked back and saw Judith reaching for her, her resolve would shatter.

"You look after her," she heard Carol say to Daryl.

"She's grown. She can look after herself," Beth heard Daryl reply.

Beth would have taken his statement as a compliment any other time, but with how he had been acting since last night, it came across as more derogatory than praise.

"I know. She's toughened up, but she's still…" Beth was too far away to hear the rest of Carol's reply.

Abraham had finished giving orders to Rosita on protocol should he not return and joined shortly after.

"I appreciate you helping us. I know you believe in your mission and I want you to know you have my gratitude," Rick extended his hand to Abraham.

"No way could I leave innocent civilians in a warzone. It would go against everything I stand for as a proud member of the United States Army and as a man," Abraham accepted Rick's hand and gave it a firm shake.

The exchange had a sense of finality to it that Beth didn't like. It wasn't that she expected their expedition to Terminus to be a walk in the park, but she certainly wasn't expecting anyone to die. However, from Beth's experience, she knew that the living were far more dangerous than the dead.

"You worried?" Carl asked, standing beside her.

"There's a lot that can go wrong," Beth quoted Daryl's reply from the night before.

"Yeah, but we gotta' help those people," Carl stated objectively.

"We shouldn't have to help anyone escape," Beth seethed, causing Carl to scrutinize her, "They shouldn't be locked up to begin with."

"I know," Carl sighed, "We'll get them out and we'll take care of whoever gets in our way."

Beth hated how numb they had become to the thought of taking someone's life. The thought still made her stomach churn, but it was no longer an action she considered damning. It was wrong, but it was necessary.

"Yeah," Beth breathed.

When everyone had said their 'We'll see you later's,' they began their journey back to the fences that had meant to keep them prisoners. Beth walked alongside Maggie, contemplating everything that had brought them to this point. She was uncertain about what the outcome of their trip to Terminus would be, but she knew that she would never be able to come back from ignoring the compulsion to help all of those innocent people. Her drive to help was the only sentiment that kept her feeling human.

…

Beth hadn't spoken much; answering Maggie with monosyllabic answers. They had been walking for several hours. She was starting to feel the ache in her legs, but they were too close to stop. They hadn't come across any walkers yet, which left Beth feeling eerily calm and anxious at the same time.

Sasha, Tyreese, Bob, and Glenn were walking a few paces ahead, Maggie was sticking by her side, Michonne and Carl were walking next to them having their own conversation, and Rick, Abraham, and Daryl were bringing up the rear.

"What's going on?" Maggie finally asked.

Beth knew she had wanted to ask for hours, but had amazingly held off for over half the trip.

"Nothin'. Why?" Beth quipped.

"Well for one, your tone, and for two, this isn't about Terminus. I know that look. Who pissed you of?" Maggie smiled.

Beth sighed. They had more important things to worry about than her feelings.

"You do realize we all could die today, right?" Maggie poked her finger into Beth's side.

Beth flinched away, partly because of the residual tenderness and partly because she was ticklish, "I know Mags."

"Daddy told me, when everyone was sick and he went into the quarantine room even though I begged him not to, he said that in everything we do now, we risk our lives. That we don't have a choice anymore. The only thing we can choose is what we're risking it for," Maggie's expression told Beth she was re-living the moment with their father, "You don't wanna' have any regrets Bethy."

Beth didn't reply. She knew Maggie was right. Their lives could end at any moment and she didn't want the remorse of leaving things on such rocky ground with Daryl. If she survived, she wasn't sure she could live with the guilt, and the last thing she wanted for Daryl was to be a bad memory.

She risked a glance back and the look she gave him must have translated her concern because he furrowed his brows and said something to Rick. He then ventured a bit off the path of the group, still within sight, but far enough away to provide privacy.

"Go talk to him Beth," Maggie urged.

"Huh?" Beth blinked a few times and stared at her sister.

"Daryl, go patch up whatever he did to piss you off," Maggie answered with a knowing smile.

Beth nodded, "I think I'll do that."

Maggie caught up to Glenn, grabbing his hand upon reaching his side, and Beth steered herself in Daryl's direction. As she drifted, she attempted to get her thoughts in order. She knew Daryl wouldn't go for any of the 'beating around the bush,' but she wasn't exactly sure why things had gotten so tense with him. She had a general idea, but Daryl didn't talk about feelings, she had to read his body language and understand what his mannerism suggested.

He was on edge; the muscles in his arms taut and stake in hand, ready to be used should they run into trouble. She understood his tension as she herself didn't feel right without her crossbow. She fell into step beside him, the crushed stone of the track ballast giving way to lush, green grass while they walked.

"So…." Beth started awkwardly.

Daryl made a sort of indignant sound in the back of his throat.

"You gonna' tell me what your problem has been today?" Beth's tone even.

"Ain't nothin' wrong with me," Daryl bristled.

"That so?" Beth queried sardonically.

Daryl 'hmphed' and made no further reply.

This wasn't going the way she wanted. She decided to try for a different approach. She stopped walking, letting Rick and Carl pass her by, giving her a weary glance. If Daryl realized she had stopped immediately, he didn't act like it, continuing on for several more strides.

Beth shifted her weight, crossed her arms, and got comfortable glaring at Daryl's back. Beth counted three more steps before Daryl stopped, put both his hands on his hips, and looked up as if he were cursing the sky itself. He then turned and stalked toward Beth. She didn't allow herself to feel intimidated. Instead she defiantly clenched her jaw and squinted her eyes.

"What tha' hell is wrong with you?" Daryl sneered.

"Ain't nothin' wrong with me," Beth quoted him.

"_What?_"Daryl's face was turning red.

"You heard me," Beth replied stubbornly.

They stared at each other in silence. She didn't back down. If she did, Daryl wouldn't open up to her and she _needed_ to clear things up before they got into Terminus. It wasn't just about regrets; she knew if they were at odds with each other, they wouldn't be in sync and that could very well end up getting them or someone else killed.

"You've lost yer' damn mind," Daryl shook his head at her.

"What're we doing Daryl?" Beth genuinely wasn't sure, "What happened last night?"

Daryl reached up and rubbed the back of his neck, staring down at the ground.

"I mean," Beth continued, "everything was fine last night. Then you just shut down on me, avoided me this morning, and you've been acting like a jerk. So what's going on?"

He remained mute. He glanced over his shoulder, back at their group slowly getting farther away from them, and then placed his gaze somewhere over Beth's shoulder.

"Daryl…" Beth uncrossed her arms and tugged at the front panels of his vest, "_talk to me_."

He closed his eyes. Beth scrunched her brows in confusion. When Daryl finally opened his eyes, the strength of his stare was so intense she thought it might burn her.

"What happened? Why're you tryin' to shut me out?" Beth spoke barely above a whisper.

"I'm not good with people," Daryl confessed.

"That's nothin' I didn't already know," Beth gave a small smile.

"This ain't the time to be talkin' about all this. We're marching into fuckin' enemy territory," Daryl barked.

"This is _exactly_ the time to talk about this _because_ of what we're about to do. I've got enough regrets Daryl," she finished softly.

Daryl's eyes danced between hers. The same feeling she had the night before began creeping up from her stomach. When his hands wrapped around her bent elbows, she could have sworn at the electricity she felt surge through her.

"I don't know what'cha want me to say," Daryl admitted.

"The truth," Beth replied, "I can't help if you shut me out."

"I don't need help," Daryl scoffed.

"Maybe not right now, but I'm your friend Daryl. You can depend on me," Beth was speaking from her heart.

"Friend, huh?" Daryl smirked.

Beth frowned, "You don't consider me ah' friend?"

"Never really had nobody but Merle. Friends weren't somethin' you had in my lifestyle," Daryl explained.

"Well you got me. I know Rick thinks of you as a comrade. There's a first time for everything," Beth theorized.

"Guess so," Daryl murmured.

Beth could feel this nervous energy swirling through her. With each second that Daryl kept his hold on her, the energy amplified. She could hear her own heartbeat ringing in her ears and she felt like the only reason she was still standing was due to his strong hands that had crept up to hold the back of her arms and her iron grip on his vest. She rolled her lips across each other trying to keep her nerves from getting the best of her. They way Daryl was looking down at her wasn't doing anything to help either.

She watched the muscles in his jaw jump several times as he clenched his teeth. Then he took a deep breath and let her go, "We'd better catch up."

Beth nodded dumbly and let go of Daryl's vest.

"We good?" Daryl asked, still staring down at her.

"Yeah," Beth breathed, "Just don't push me away, okay?"

She followed Daryl, walking at a brisk pace to cover the distance the group had made from them.

"I'll work on it," Daryl cut his eyes to her.

"You'd better," Beth teased.

Daryl smirked. It was the closest thing Beth had seen to a smile since before they entered Terminus and the way it made his eyes light up made Beth feel like her heart was going to burst. It didn't matter if Daryl worked on keeping her closer than arm's length or not, she wasn't going anywhere.

…

"They've been gone too long," Maggie paced.

"Give them time," Michonne tried to reason only to come off sounding harsh due to her own concern.

"Come'on guys," Carl spoke up from where he sat on the ground next to Michonne, "they'll be fine. They might have had to go around further because of walkers."

"He's right," Sasha agreed, clenching and unclenching her hands around her arms.

Beth's eyes hadn't strayed from where Daryl's form had disappeared into the tree line. Daryl would bring them back on the exact same trail they had entered on. She knew how he worked. If they came back on a different path, then they had run into trouble. Regardless, she kept her sight fixed on the small gap the men had walked into.

"How long has it been?" Maggie asked as she continued to pace.

"I've counted to sixty, nine times now," Beth uttered.

"Not even ten minutes then," Carl stated the obvious, "it probably takes five minutes to reach the fence from where we're at."

"And if they had to travel further down, it could be a good twenty minutes before they come back," Sasha added.

"Everyone just relax," Bob encouraged, "If they had run into trouble, we would have heard something by now."

Maggie continued to pace and Beth continued to count. No one else spoke.

Daryl had vehemently denied letting Bob scout ahead with the guys. Beth had been able to piece things together. Apparently Bob had a drinking problem, but she wasn't sure what had transpired to have put him on Daryl's bad side. One thing was very clear; Daryl did _not_ trust Bob.

By the time Beth had counted to sixty her twenty-fifth time, panic had begun gnawing at her. She knew Daryl and everyone else could handle themselves. She'd seen them take care of dozens of walkers. They'd survived when the prison fell. That still didn't mean things couldn't go wrong.

A rustle in the trees had Beth on her feet ready to take care of whatever or whoever appeared. She could hear voices. Then, one by one, the guys exited the woods.

Maggie rushed to Glenn, hugging him fiercely, "I was so worried."

"We took a little longer than expected," Glenn replied returning the hug.

Sasha gave Tyreese a strong punch in the arm and the two began their sibling antics.

Michonne and Carl approached Rick and Abraham. Rick explained the best course he thought would get them in undetected and Michonne added her input from what she had just heard. Beth, however, was concerned with none of this. She would follow Daryl, trust him like she had so many time before, and he would get them where they needed to go.

The only feeling she could focus on was the immense relief in the fact that everyone had come back alive and completely unharmed. She met Daryl's eyes as he was standing off to the side and he jerked his head for her to come to him and Beth complied. He was standing at the edge of the trail into the woods watching her as she approached him, and she realized she was doing the same.

"Any walkers?" Beth asked.

"Bunch of 'em at the fence. They shouldn't be too hard to get around though. Most of 'em already been dealt with," Daryl replied.

Beth nodded.

"We're gonna' wait till it gets ah' little darker. Wait out here so long as no walkers show up. Then me and you got to get our weapons back. We don't take out those sniper's on the roof, we're all gonna' die," Daryl elaborated.

"I'm aware," Beth confirmed.

"Don't get no hero complex. I know how you get when it comes t'people. We're not gonna' be able to save them all. And we gotta' take the lives of others just to give the ones locked up a chance," Daryl emphasized.

"If you're askin' if I can handle this, I'll be fine," Beth didn't like Daryl trying to sugarcoat the issue.

"I know you can," Daryl agreed, "Just wanna' make sure you know what you're gettin' into."

"I know what I need to do," Beth strengthened her resolve.

"You stick with me tha' whole time," Daryl took a step towards her.

"I will. I got your back," Beth smiled.

Daryl seemed mollified by her response, "Let's go hear what Rick and them have come up with."

Beth felt his hand rest against the small of her back, guiding her toward the huddle, and she realized that this was the second time in two days that he had touched her in such a gentle manner. Once she had begun walking, the pressure disappeared, but the tingling sensation lingered.

She wasn't sure what was going on with Daryl. She had no idea why he was behaving the way he was. He hadn't always acted like a decent guy, but his nobility had always been there, trapped beneath layers of distrust and pain. He'd just needed a little push in order to realize it himself.

Beth brushed away her thoughts. She needed to focus and letting her thoughts of Daryl's bizarre behavior was not her number one priority in their present environment. They were about to risk their lives attempting to free strangers and end a corrupt society. Thoughts of Daryl had to wait. She would, hopefully, have the opportunity to mull over them later.

All she needed to focus on right now was making sure Terminus paid for their actions. Beth smirked; realizing her angry wish in the rail car would come true. She was involved in their raid against the 'sanctuary.'

She would make sure that Terminus _burned_.

**A/N: **Anyone else feel like Daryl strategically avoided talking about his feelings and snuck out of that conversation without really telling Beth what was going on with him? Hmm...leave me a review and let me know what you guys think! XOXO


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** A nod to the genius Robert Kirkman for creating this wonderfully dark, post-apocalyptic world. I do not own or have rights to any of the characters/plot of this series. I'm simply a fan indulging in my post-apocalyptic fantasies.  
**  
A/N:** Thank you Nicole137137 for sending me edits for this chapter even though you were still exhausted from your camping trip!

She reads the comments so if you guys want to wish her a happy birthday (it's technically June 4th) I'd be super grateful! Without her to bounce ideas off of and help when my southern twang comes through in my writing, I'd be a mess! HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICOLE!  
**  
ALSO:** This chapter contains graphic scenes of violence. I have a disclaimer in the story info, but this chapter has some especially graphic scenes.

…

Beth's heart was racing as she ran down the dark ally. She was in between Michonne and Daryl and the three of them were moving through the deserted back streets of Terminus. Abraham had stayed behind the fence, providing cover, and in pairs they made their way back to the boxcar that had held them captive. Once there, Abraham joined them and they had snuck around the rail car, pressing themselves against the nearest building for cover.  
With everyone in position, Michonne, Daryl, and herself had split off in search of the armory.

A nervous energy filled Beth. She felt secure with Michonne leading them and knowing Daryl had her back, but she worried that Michonne would notice something one step too late and reveal them to the guard on patrol or that someone would sneak up on Daryl while they focused on making sure they didn't run into anyone ahead of them. Being in the middle, she was the only who could split her attention and focus on both directions. Her head was on a swivel; her eyes watching in front but her ears attentive to everything behind them.

Michonne's arm shot up, fist clenched, signaling them to stop. Michonne slowly stepped backwards, forcing Beth to do the same. She risked a glance back to check on Daryl. He too was taking cautious steps in the direction they had come from. Their eyes met for a brief moment and Beth wasn't comforted by the look on Daryl's face. He was just as much on edge as she was.

A crunching noise sounded in front of them; a rhythmic pattern that Beth identified as a person walking. Her grip on her wooden stake tightened. They were virtually unarmed. It was just one person, as far as Beth could tell, but if he managed to yell, to alert guards nearby, it was all over.

Michonne signaled to Beth. Nodding, Beth took the lead as Michonne stepped to the other side of the alley. The man would now see Beth first, but Michonne would be able to sneak closer to the end of the building before she would become visible.

Beth felt Daryl move closer behind her. She could feel the heat radiating from his body surrounding her due to their proximity, but he had yet to physically touch her. It didn't ease Beth as it normally would. If anything, it made her more anxious. She knew that at the first sign of trouble, Daryl would throw himself into the fray to protect her and Michonne. For caring so much about other's lives, he placed little value in his own. However, Beth had just as much of a protective streak in her as Daryl and she'd die trying to keep him safe without a second thought.

The shuffling of feet was deafening and Beth could see a beam of light coming from within the walkway. Beth glanced at Michonne who visibly stiffened upon noticing the flashlight. Slinking around in the dark was one thing, but armed guards with a means of being able to spot them in the cover of darkness was not something they had anticipated.

Beth looked to Daryl and jerked her head toward the opposite wall behind Michonne. Daryl nodded, agreeing that they couldn't stay in place, and they both carefully made their way to Michonne. Each step Beth took made her wince. She hadn't mastered the art of stealth quite like Michonne and Daryl and every time her foot came in contact with the ground, she felt she may as well have been shouting her location for the approaching individual.

When course, hardened clay that constructed the brick building scraped her bare arms, she felt a small bit of relief. They waited in silence. A light blinded Beth's eyes for a brief moment before she heard a struggle. Michonne had used her stake as a sort of gag, forcing it between the man's teeth so he couldn't make coherent words, but he was still making noise and clawing at her arms in an attempt to get free. Beth reacted on instinct. The moment the dots in her vision subsided, she balled her hand in a fist and struck the man in the throat. His attempts to yell for help were replaced by gasping and his hands held his neck protectively.

Daryl wasted no time in grabbing the man's forgotten weapon up off the ground and using it to give him a solid blow to the head. The man slumped in Michonne's arms and she slowly lowered him to the ground, careful not to make any more commotion than necessary.  
Michonne then propped the man against the wall and began checking his pockets. Beth squatted down and began helping her look. Rifling through the man's pocket made Beth feel uncomfortable. She kept her eyes on his face, expecting him to wake up and attack her. Her heart raced, thrumming through her chest and echoing in her ears. The jingling of keys startled her and signaled the end of their search.

"Think they'll open the armory?" Beth asked Michonne who investigated the keys in her hand.

"Only one way to find out," Michonne answered.

"We're close," Daryl added, "Should be 'round the next building."

"If our intel is valid," Michonne agreed.

Beth stood and walked to the alleyway the man had come down. Leaning around the corner, careful to make sure no one else was around; she took a step into the opening and crouched down to pick up the abandoned flashlight. Standing, she clicked the light a few times to make sure the drop hadn't ruined the device.

"Let's go," Michonne took the lead once more.  
Beth followed closely behind and Daryl, still holding the gun, fell into step behind her. Michonne peered around the edge of the building and signaled that it was clear. They quietly crept around the building, the moonlight illuminating their path, and found the warehouse door that their captive had indicated was the armory.

"Blue door, busted window, fifth building toward the back," Daryl listed off, "and it's locked up. This is it."

Beth examined the door curiously. A thick padlock rested on the latch screwed onto the door. Michonne and Daryl had explained that their main obstacle going in wouldn't be finding the armory, but getting into the armory once it was located. Their hostage had informed them that the armory wasn't generally guarded, as there was no need when the community was so close-knit and anyone new to the society was locked up in a boxcar. They did keep it locked up for precautionary reasons. They had a decent stock of guns and ammunition that they had procured from their prisoners and they didn't want to be robbed blind of their investments by someone lucky enough to sneak in and out without being seen.

Michonne began trying the keys. One by one, each key was eliminated as the correct key to open the padlock. When the last key failed, Michonne threw the keys down on the ground and glared at the door.

"What now?" Daryl grumbled glancing between Michonne and the door.

"I'm thinking," Michonne answered tersely.

Beth glanced around the area, taking stock of what their options were. There was another door around the other side of the building, but going further into Terminus meant more rooftops with better vantage points that they could be seen from and more guards that they could run into. Where they stood now, they had Terminus in front of them and a few sheds behind them. For the most part, the area was open, far too open to have the entire group lay in wait, but there weren't buildings tall enough to constitute placing a sniper on watch.

The moon reflected off the broken glass still held in the tattered window frame. Beth walked over to the window, examining the height of the brick opening that held the wooden frame. She could barely touch the lip of the window seal. If someone were to boost her up, she would be able bust out the remaining glass in one of the panes and climb through.

"Daryl," Beth said his name softly, never removing her eyes from the window.

"Yeah?" Daryl's voice traveled toward her from where he stood next to Michonne.

Beth glanced at him and pointed up to the window. Daryl followed her direction and furrowed his brows.

"Hell no," Daryl said automatically.

"What is it?" Michonne inquired.

"I'm small enough that I can climb through," Beth pointed back up to the window, "I just need a boost."

"No fuckin' way," Daryl refused more forcefully.

"Maybe there's somethin' inside I can toss back out to you so you can pry the latch off the door? We don't have the right key and we're not getting that lock off _without_ the key. What other choice do we have?" Beth argued.

"We don't," Michonne answered seriously, "but there's a chance that there won't be anything in there we can use."

"Then I'll figure out a way to get the weapons out of the window," Beth replied.

"You're goin' in there blind," Daryl tightened his jaw.

"I can do this," Beth met his gaze calmly.

"I don't like it," Michonne crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm _doing_ this," Beth restated herself sternly.

Michonne and Daryl exchanged a look. They all knew they didn't have any other options. Not everyone waiting for them had a weapon, they _themselves_ didn't have weapons, and the only way they were freeing the people trapped here was by getting into that armory.

Beth was glaring at Daryl. Michonne had expressed her concern, however Daryl had flat out told her no. She was already annoyed that they couldn't get the door open, but Daryl refusing to trust her abilities _really_ ticked her off. She understood his concern, she wasn't thrilled with the idea herself, but they didn't have time to sit around and debate.

"If she says she can do it, who am I to argue?" Michonne sighed, shrugging her shoulders.

Daryl met Beth's glare with a grimace of his own. Begrudgingly he approached her, where she stood under the window seal, and placed both his hands on his hips. His eyes now downcast, he worked on his bottom lip, and remained silent.

"Daryl," Beth huffed, "I'm just goin' through the window. It's not like it'd be any less dangerous than goin' through the door. Whatever's inside is gonna' be inside no matter which way we go in."

Daryl breathed in through his nostrils. She could imagine the face he was making, she'd seen it several times; brows furrows, eyes squinting, lips pressed into a thin line, and nostrils flared while he worked to organize his thoughts.

"It'll be fine," she bent down to try and look at his face, "and you know that one of us sneaking in is a lot less inconspicuous than three, regardless of how quiet we all can be."

His eyes stared at her through his fringe. The crystal blue of his irises shone in the moonlight. The intensity was enough to steal her breath away and she gulped involuntarily.  
Daryl lifted his head to stare down his nose at her.

"You get in. You stay hidden. Find somethin' to get that damned door open and ya' get it t'me asap," his voice came out deep, gruff.

Beth nodded and shoved her stake into her back pocket. She placed her hands on his shoulders, bracing herself to step into his hands; however he made no move to help her up. Beth furrowed her brows. She peeked around his shoulder and noticed Michonne was keeping watch over the alley way they had come from.

She then cleared her throat and turned her attention back to Daryl, "Do you trust me?"

The question seemed to have caught him off-guard by the narrowing of his eyes, "What kinda' question is that? Ya' know I do."

"Then you know I can take care of myself," Beth tipped her head to the side and smirked.

Daryl sighed, bowing his head in defeat, and squatted down making a brace for Beth's foot by interlacing his fingers, "Just make sure you don't do nothin' until I get in there."

Beth smiled wide. She was relieved to know that even though he didn't want her going in alone, that he trusted her to be able to handle whatever waited inside. She had no intention of looking for trouble, but she had people depending on her. She would do whatever she had to in order to get Daryl and Michonne those weapons.

She leaned forward, pressing her forehead atop the mop of his brown locks. His shoulders went rigid, but he didn't move away. She took a deep breath, her senses filled with everything that was Daryl, and it gave her a sensation of clarity.

"I'll see you in a few," she whispered.

Daryl hummed; the depth of his voice distinctly more so in their proximity. Beth pulled away and caught the quick glance he gave her. He then shifted his weight to strengthen the cradle he had created with his hands and Beth placed her foot in his hold.

"On three," she said and he nodded, "One…two…three."

Then she was flying upward. She caught the lip of the window seal and began climbing inside. There were shards of glass still attached to the frame, pointing at her dangerously, and Beth winced when a piece caught her cheek as she clambered through the bottom right panel.

She pulled her wooden pike out of her back pocket and leapt down from the window as quietly as she could. She landed on her toes and hunched down. The warehouse was dark, only a few candles lit around the room. There were metal racks, similar to the ones she'd had in her utility closet, situated closer to the door opposite of the one Daryl and Michonne waited behind. The building looked like it had been some sort of repair shed. There were a few hydraulic lifts in front of her, some suspended in the air while others rested flat against the ground, and various tools were strewn about the building.

She had yet to move, listening for footsteps to echo in the dark, signaling that someone else was in the armory with her. When she hadn't heard anything after a few minutes of waiting, Beth tiptoed across the concrete floor to the shelves. Her eyes widened in shock at the amount of weapons stored in the building. The astonishment quickly subsided into nausea in the knowledge that there was an extremely high possibility that all, if not at least ninety percent, of the weapons were from people who were locked up in the boxcars…or worse.

The shelves were filled with knives, machetes, axes, loose bullets that belonged to the various guns that littered the shelves, and even a few homemade weapons. A crowbar caught her eye and she picked up the metal tool. It was crusted in a black film, most likely walker blood, but it looked sturdy enough to get the latch off of the door that kept Daryl and Michonne locked outside.

Beth froze when she heard a noise from the door she was now closest to and dropped to the floor. A jingling of keys, followed by a door slowly opening, echoed through the warehouse. Then the footsteps of someone coming into the warehouse filled the silence and the door shut. She could see a pair of legs from in between one of the shelves and thanked anyone who was listening that only one person had entered.

Then panic set in.

She had nowhere to hide. Nowhere to run. If they saw her, she'd have to make sure they weren't able to tell anyone and ruin their chances of taking Terminus by surprise. She then recognized that she still had the upper hand against whoever had entered. They weren't expecting anyone to be inside the armory and she hadn't been seen. Pushing up on her hands and knees, she carefully lifted herself into a crouched position. She was thankful she had discarded her wooden weapon in favor of the crowbar she held tightly in her hands.

She took slow, even steps toward the Terminus resident that was impeding on her plans. She could make out the silhouette of a man, a _very_ _large_ man, with a gun strapped around his back. He was leaning over a desk, a candle lighting half of his body, inspecting a piece of paper. She was only a few feet away when the man stood to his full height and turned away from the desk.

Beth froze.

He was rifling through one of the shelves beside the desk, still unaware of her presence. She heard him curse under his breath and then he turned toward her. She was caught. She had to act or everything would be ruined.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" The Terminus dweller asked her crudely; removing his weapon.

Beth didn't answer. Instead she leapt forward and swung the crowbar at his head. He managed to block the brunt of the swing with his arm, dropping his gun in the process, but she had still done damage to his person. Not wanting to give him the chance to pick up his weapon, she swung again. This time she made contact with the side of his head and his body crumpled to the ground. Her chest was heaving as she tried to catch her breath; adrenaline surging through her veins. She approached him cautiously, unsure whether her blow had indeed knocked the man out or if he was feigning unconsciousness. She nudged him with her foot twice and when he didn't move she bent down to search for the keys that had granted him access inside the armory.

The pockets on her side were empty. She took a deep breath and scanned the stranger before reaching across his body to search his other pocket. As soon as her fingers grasped the keys, she was knocked back. The room spun for a few seconds before she was able to make it stop and register what had just happened.

The man, who was definitely _not_ unconscious, was hovering over her on all fours. She tried crawling back, but he managed to grab her ankle and yank her underneath him.

"I'm going to enjoy peeling the meat from your bones," he hissed, "after I release some of my _frustration_."

Beth's eyes frantically searched for the crowbar, however, she didn't have time to locate it before the man was pressing down on top of her. Beth felt the air vanish from her lungs. She felt invading hands skimming her sides, making their way under her shirt. The moment his hands made contact with the skin of her stomach, Beth found her voice.

"Get _OFF_ of me you son of'ah bitch!" Beth hollered.

Her pleas were ignored and Beth discerned that only one of them would be walking away from this alive. She frantically searched for anything she could use as a weapon. His hands were getting dangerously close to her bra and Beth's instincts kicked into overdrive. She was _not_ going to lose her virginity on the floor of a warehouse to some stranger and she'd be damned if this man made her a liar to Daryl.

She grabbed a handful of his hair and ripped his head away from her neck. Not hesitating she dug both of her thumbs into his eye sockets, fully intent on gouging his eyes out of his head. The painful noise that came from the man's throat encouraged her. She tried to get her legs situated to kick him in the groin, but he was bigger and much stronger than her. He swung wildly, knocking one of her arms away from his eyes and into the metal shelf beside them. She hissed at the immediate pain she felt from coming in contact with the ledge, but it was forgotten as soon as she saw the shiny object that had fallen from jarring the rack.

"You _bitch_," her attacker yelled from where he straddled her hips, "I'm going to rip you limb from _fucking_ limb!"

Beth didn't give him the chance to say anything more. She grabbed the knife that had fallen to the ground and forced herself up on one elbow. She then ripped one of her legs free and kicked the brute squarely in the chest. He fell backwards, blinking his bloodied eyes at her. She tried to get up and run for the door he had entered through, but he grabbed the back of her shirt, pulling her back to the ground.

"_No_! Let me _go_!" Beth hissed, swinging her fists at the man with all the strength her limbs allowed.

Blood dripped on her face. She knew she had distorted his vision, but she wasn't sure by how much, and it was clear that no matter what she did he was not going to let her go. A hand gripped her throat, followed by a second, and it became hard to breath. She had to do something drastic or she would be reuniting with her father sooner than later.

The world moved in slow motion.

She could hear banging on the locked door that separated her from Daryl and Michonne. She knew if they had heard their skirmish then there was a chance that someone else had as well. Using the knife she had been desperately clutching she swung and sliced him across his cheek up into his ear. More blood descended upon her. She swung again, catching him across the forehead. His hands left her throat and went to his wounds. It was then that Beth saw her opening.

In one clean slice she slit his throat. There was a sickening gurgle as blood spewed from the wound. She kicked him off of her once more and struggled to get to her feet. He would be another person added to her list of lives she had taken. Granted it was a short list, but the fact that she had a list _period_ made her heart constrict in her chest. She caught her breath and struggled to drag the still warm body under one of the hydraulic lifts that's base was elevated in the air.

Shawn had worked as a mechanic during the summers of his high school years. She had idolized her brother when she was younger and would listen with vast interest to all he would share about 'how things worked.' Thus, she was vaguely familiar with the mechanics of hydraulic lifts. She knew that if the base was up in the air, then that meant there was pressure in the hydraulic hose.

Shuffling over to the black tube that hung from the lift, she nicked the hose with her bloodied knife. The lift creaked and as the hydraulic fluid trickled in a steady stream from the line, the base began lowering to the ground.

She couldn't let him become a walker. He may have been a horrible person, an opinion she had formed for their brief encounter, but she couldn't do that to someone. Nor could she find the courage to stab him through the eye socket and pierce his brain. Mangling his face with an axe or other weapon wasn't an option she was willing to perform either.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, dropping the knife and letting it clatter on the concrete floor.

The base continued its descent and Beth refused to watch any longer. She walked over to where the keys she had been searching for lay discarded on the ground. Bending down to pick them up, she heard a revolting crunch from the hydraulic life behind her.

The man would no longer come back as a flesh eating abomination.

She was bone-weary, bloody, and was fighting to keep her bile in her stomach. Movement on the far wall caught her attention and another surge of adrenaline rushed her system. Narrowing her eyes she spotted Michonne crouched on the window seal with the gun Daryl had acquired in hand. She must have busted out some of the glass and climbed through during the fight because Beth didn't recall ever hearing any glass shatter.

"Don't jump," Beth croaked.

Her throat felt tender. She knew it would probably bruise, if it hadn't already, but she took pride in the fact that _she_ was still alive for her throat _to_ bruise. She hadn't kept her word to Daryl, for she wasn't _fine_, but she was alive and that would trump the former.

Beth forced her legs to take her closer to Michonne and she tossed the keys up to the woman in the window. Michonne didn't say anything, but Beth could feel her eyes examining her. She must have looked as terrible as she felt from the scowl on Michonne's face. She sighed, presuming that Daryl would _flip_ when he saw her. She didn't even want to think about how Maggie was going to react.

She watched Michonne turn, toss the keys to the other side of the wall, and nod her head once. There was a chiming of keys and the door swung open with more force than necessary. Beth stood straight, refusing to look as weak as she felt, and waited for Daryl to cross the threshold.

He loomed in the doorway, eyes checking her from head to toe, and she could _feel_ the rage enveloping his aura. They were at an impasse. He was making no moves toward her and she wasn't going to go to him.

Michonne jumped down from the window and approached Beth. The katana-wielding-woman placed both of her hands on Beth's shoulders tenderly, forcing Beth to shift her concentration away from Daryl.

"It was him or you," Michonne said quietly.

Beth exhaled loudly. She blinked back tears as the reality of what had just transpired consumed her. She had had to kill another human being so that she could live. She didn't value her life over anyone else's, but she had done just that in taking her attacker's life. Granted he had attempted to perform an immoral act against her and had made his intentions regarding her life _very_ clear, but her deed was equally depraved when she took his life.

Beth nodded, not brave enough to voice her thoughts and knowing they didn't have the time to sort out her views on morality. Rick and the others were waiting on weapons so they could free the people being kept against their will. The lives in those rail cars far outweighed that of whatever was left of the man under the hydraulic lift.

Michonne patted her shoulders, and then moved to gather weapons. Taking a deep breath Beth shifted her gaze back to Daryl. He was still standing in the doorway, but his face betrayed his concern. Beth extended her hand, her bloody fingers trembling at the exertion, beckoning him closer. He turned and quietly closed the door behind him before advancing on her. He took her hand and she could feel his strength transferring into her.

"I'm sorry I couldn't keep my word," she spoke in hushed tones.

She tried to smile, but her facial muscles wouldn't cooperate. Instead she squeezed his hand, hoping it conveyed what she was feeling. He rummaged around behind him and pulled out his bandana. Reaching up, he gently began wiping her face. Beth closed her eyes, relishing in the feeling of safety he provided her despite their dangerous predicament.

"You gotta' cut," Daryl rubbed his thumb tenderly over her cheek.

Beth blinked her eyes open, "It's from tha' glass when I was climbin' through the window."

He accepted her answer without response. After a few more wipes he put the bandana back in his pocket and stared down at her. She met his eyes and realized she had been wrong in her thinking earlier. Her life might not have been any more important to herself than another person's, but she could name a few people who would argue with her in those regards.

"He hurt you?" Daryl narrowed his eyes.

She wasn't willing to divulge what had almost happened. She had stopped her assailant before things had progressed too far and she wasn't sure how he'd react to the details. Her shirt was ripped, her throat was sore, but she was otherwise unharmed. There was no reason to get into the specifics. They needed to have a clear head for when they stormed the roofs.

"He's dead. It doesn't matter," Beth replied, looking over her shoulder at the bloody mess of the mangled body.

She felt a soft pressure around her throat and she panicked. Her head whipped back to him, her eyes wild, and her breath hitched. His hand was barely touching her skin, but the sense of déjà vu that overwhelmed her was too powerful to ignore. She took several calming breaths, her eyes boring into his, and she attempted another faint smile. His fingers skimmed over her skin, as if he was trying to wipe away the bruising like he had with the blood, and Beth's heart began to race for a different reason.

The look on his face was something Beth couldn't decipher. Her eyes danced between the both of his, trying to make sense of everything her brain was processing, but it suddenly seemed like the world was falling away from underneath her feet.

Beth couldn't tell if they had been standing there for minutes, or even hours, but the moment was broken when Michonne spoke up, "I found your crossbows."

Beth's smile came of its own free will. Finally something good had worked out for them. Daryl dropped his hand from her neck and squeezed the hand he still held, and then they were both moving to Michonne. Beth could have hugged her inanimate weapon, ecstatic to be reunited with her crossbow, but instead opted for hugging Michonne. The woman chuckled and returned the embrace.

"I'm going to take these back to the group," Michonne announced; stepping back and hefting several semi-automatic rifles over her shoulder. She looked more like herself with her katana across her back.

Daryl examined his crossbow, checking the strings and its pull, before replying, "Alright. We're gonna' find that ladder. Start sortin' out things on the roof."

"Sounds good," Michonne moved to the door and paused, "When you two start…things are going to get bad quick."

Daryl scoffed, "You ain't whistlin' Dixie."

Michonne gave him a look that conveyed she wasn't amused by his sarcasm, "Just be careful."

"Yeah, yeah," Daryl replied while nocking his crossbow.

"We'll be careful," Beth added pulling an arrow from her attached quiver to follow suit, "You watch yourself too."

Michonne gave them one last look before disappearing out of the building and it was just the two of them. It felt like before they had been separated; her and Daryl against what was left of the world. This time though, she knew Maggie and Glenn were alive as well as everyone else, and the weight that had been around them before was missing.

"You gonna' be alright?" Daryl asked quietly.

Beth glanced at him. She was sure he wasn't asking if she was okay physically, but more 'okay' with what they were about to do. She wasn't _okay_ with either, but there were things that needed to be done, "I'll be fine."

"Gotta' aim for the head. We can't afford walkers," Daryl's voice was stern.

"I know," Beth nodded, following him to the door across the building.

"You get in trouble, you keep yer' head down. I'll come find ya'," Daryl turned to her before opening the door.

"Daryl," Beth raised an eyebrow at him, "I'm not a damsel in distress."

"I know you ain't. Doesn't mean you won't get into ah' tight spot," Daryl countered.

"You watch my back, I watch yours," Beth stated, "that's how we've always done things."

Daryl looked at her for a long moment before nodding and turning to open the door. Beth waited, gripping her crossbow tightly, but the door remained closed. Just as Beth was about to ask what was wrong, Daryl turned to give her a view of his profile.

"You took care of that bastard so you don't have'tah apologize. If I had been in here…" His voice trailed off.

Beth studied his profile closely. His eyes were hidden by his hair so she focused on his mouth as he spoke. She hadn't noticed how full his lips were or that he had remarkably straight teeth. She'd never paid attention to the fact that even though he didn't have a full beard, his scruffy facial hair suited him, and that his facial structure as a whole was…handsome.

"I know," Beth snapped herself out of her thoughts.

"Just keep your word this time," Daryl's strikingly blue eyes became visible through his hair.

Beth was noticing all sorts of things about Daryl that she hadn't before.

"I will," Beth managed to reply.

His gaze lingered a moment longer and then he pushed the door open; jerking his head for her to go through. She adjusted her grip on her crossbow once more, feeling relief at being reunited with her long-lost friend, and lifted the weapon to her shoulder. As she walked past Daryl, her tattered shirt allowed his hand to graze her bare hip, and the brief encounter sent a wave of chills through her body.

Whether Daryl reacted the same way or not, she didn't trust herself to look, instead forcing herself to stay focused on being ready for someone to appear in front of them. They took a left, walking toward the rear of the building, and checked around the corner. Beth signaled it was clear, and she followed him around the building, passing two back streets, turning down the third. The ladder was right where their informant had said it would be.

"I'll go up first," Daryl whispered.

Beth grabbed his forearm as he was reaching up to begin climbing, making him stop and look at her.

"If you get into trouble, keep your head down. I'll come find ya'," Beth repeated what he had said to her a few moments ago.

Daryl stared at her and shook his head, chuckling softly, "You're somethin' else Greene."

Beth smiled, "I got your back."

The amusement on his face vanished and the air between them became somber, "An' I got yours."

"Don't die on me, okay?" Beth tried to make light of the statement.

"I can't make no promises, but I don't plan on goin' nowhere today," Daryl declared.

"Better not," Beth ordered.

Daryl opened his mouth to say something, closing it almost immediately, keeping the words locked behind his lips. He squinted his eyes and chewed on the inside of his lip. Beth had an idea of what he wanted to say. The direction of their conversation made for a rather easy educated guess.

"I don't plan on dying today either," Beth expressed confidently.

He smirked, exhaling through his nose, "Bes' not."

Then Daryl began climbing and Beth sent a silent message to her father while she followed behind him.  
_  
I'm gonna' have faith Daddy._


	8. Chapter 8

******Disclaimer:** A nod to the genius Robert Kirkman for creating this wonderfully dark, post-apocalyptic world. I do not own or have rights to any of the characters/plot of this series. I'm simply a fan indulging in my post-apocalyptic fantasies.

**Thank you **Nicole137137 for your always awesome editing! XOXO

**A/N:** I had a guest reviewer who wasn't happy with certain parts of the last chapter. It saddens me that I can't respond to your review personally, like I do all my other reviewers, but I want to say thank you. I appreciate that you were brave enough to share with me your opinion. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and while I may not agree with your review, I definitely respect you for leaving me feedback!

To all my other guests reviewers! Thank you guys so much! I am so thankful for all the support and wish I could send each of you a reply!

All of my readers are important and I want to thank each and every one of you for taking time, whether you have an account or not, to leave me feedback!

…

Beth wiped the sweat from her eyes. She had long since adjusted to seeing in the dark, but she was still having trouble aiming in such opaque visibility. So far she had taken out three snipers. The problem she had run into was that the bolts didn't dislodge from a living person's skull the way they did a walker's. She had nearly gagged when she lifted the first bolt up and the person's head followed along with it. She immediately dropped it, a dull 'thud' sounded from the dead man's head hitting the concrete roof. She had glanced at Daryl, who seemed to have no qualms ripping his bolt from a man's eye socket, and forced herself to yank the bolt free.

She would have to deal with the emotional repercussions later. The group was depending on her and Daryl to do what needed to be done. They had to take the lives of these men to ensure that no one she cared about was taken from her. From then on she had been much more careful where she aimed.

Daryl looked over the metal pipe they were using for cover, and then squatted back down beside her, "I see three of 'em. Gonna' be hard to take out all three without tippin' one of 'em off that we're here."

Beth furrowed her brows in thought, "Think we could lure one of 'em over here?"

"You think they'd fall for that shit?" Daryl asked incredulously.

"Worth a shot? Beth shrugged one of her shoulders.

"How we go about it?" Daryl inquired.

Beth stopped her racing mind and a small smile graced her features despite their situation. Any doubts she had felt on Daryl trusting her instincts were mollified by his simple question.

"One of us has to be the bait and the other is gonna' have to take them out," Beth could only conjure up the most classic scenario.

Beth waited for Daryl to weigh in on her suggestion. His jaw muscles bulged several times, but his lips remained in a tight line. She knew he wasn't sold on the idea, but the alternative didn't sound any safer than splitting up. Regardless, Beth decided to throw it out in order to make her first suggestion seem more logical.

"Only other option is to rush them. Try to take out all three before the odd-man-out raises the alarm," Beth stated cynically.

Daryl took a deep breath and exhaled through his nose, "Nah. We go in there guns ah' blazin' and we'll spook 'em. They'll turn tail and run and we'll have this whole god damned community on our ass."

"You're faster at reloading. I'll play bait and you take out the guy we lure away. I'll take the guy on the left and by that time you should have another bolt nocked for the last guy," Beth proposed.

"Sounds reasonable. You go on over to that roof access door. Figure out a way to get one of them suspicious of ya', but don't let 'em see you. I'll wait here and take care of him when he's almost on top of ya'," Daryl added.

"Alright," Beth bobbed her head in agreement.

She quickly checked her crossbow, making sure everything was in order, and leaned forward to begin sneaking back to the shed-like doorway.

A tug on her wrist caused to her pause, following the hand grasping hers up to Daryl's eyes. She raised her eyes brows in silent question, unsure why Daryl would have stopped her.

"If for some reason more than of of 'em head in yer' direction, _stay hidden_," he emphasized the last two words.

"I'm not leavin' you to-"

"Damnit Beth. I'm tellin' ya'. _Stay hidden_. I can't take care'ah myself," Daryl cut her off.

Beth stared at him, unwilling to accept the idea of leaving him behind, but she knew arguing with him was wasting valuable time. Instead she pulled her hand away, refusing to acknowledge his statement and snuck to the tin sided roof access.

Once there, she situated herself to the left of the door, and took stock of what she had to work with in order to gain the attention of one of their targets. She couldn't chance making too much noise, but she had to find a happy medium that would at least cause enough concern to investigate her hiding place. They were closer to the center of Terminus and she could only imagine how many snipers would be along the roofs of the inner buildings. Things were going to get hectic before they leveled out.

Shifting in her search, her crossbow tapped against the side of the tin building making a scratching noise as it moved while she turned. Beth froze. Then she repeated the action, intentionally scraping the stock of her weapon against the metal siding.

She could hear voices in the distance. She smiled, knowing she had their attention. She decided to wait, continuing to make the noise until they were a few feet away, and then slip around to the back side of the roof exit.

Her blood ran cold when she heard more than one set of footsteps coming in her direction.

"I can't believe you're too much of a pussy to come check this out by yourself," one man said.

"Well things _do_ actually go bump in the night now. No way in hell am I going anywhere by myself anymore," the second man retorted.

"Yeah, yeah. It's probably just a coon or somethin'," the first man replied.

"They ain't much better than 'ah roamer. They'll tear your face off jus' the same," the other voice countered.

"Such a fuckin' whiney baby," the first man sighed.

_Shit_.

There were two of them. Her mind raced. Daryl was going to reveal himself and either get himself caught…or killed. She had already decided she wasn't going to follow his request, but she didn't honestly think two men would abandon their post to check on a noise.

_Shit._

Panic began seeping into her consciousness. She guessed the men were approximately twenty yards away, but didn't have any idea where the third man would be located, as she was unsure which two were advancing upon her. She had her crossbow, three bolts in the quiver and one nocked, her knife, and the fact that she was still hidden.

Beth mentally cursed. It would be so much easier if they were walkers. She could just stab one of them in the head and…she had an epiphany. With a walker, unless they were freshly turned, the matter around their skulls gave more so than she supposed a living being's would. However, the only difference between a human and a walker, besides the insatiable urge that drove them to eat human flesh, was a heartbeat and the amount of decomposition. The people of Terminus seemed to share more in common with walkers than even Joe and his gang had, assuming they were in fact slaughtering people to grill for supper.

_Daddy…please give me strength._

Beth unfastened the clip that held her seven inch blade in place. Pulling the knife out, she steadied her nerves, and attempted to shut down her brain. She needed to act on impulse. If she thought too much about what she was about to do, she wouldn't be able to follow through. She had hardened her heart to the world they lived in, but she would never be a stone cold killer.

"You see anything?" The voices were much closer.

"I don't know. Doesn't look like-"

Beth lunged. She jammed the knife into the upper left portion of his chest, praying that she pierced his heart and he would die quickly. Just as the second man opened his mouth to yell, a bolt entered his skull. Without thinking, Beth stood and pulled up her crossbow. The third man, having heard the ruckus, was standing directly in front of her, an estimated forty-five yards. Beth fired before he had the chance to run.

Gasping and gurgling drew her attention. Looking down, resting between her feet, was a still very much alive man. Beth stumbled back. The world suddenly felt very warm and her head pounded. Leaning against the door to the roof, Beth turned away to empty the meager contents still residing in her stomach.

A squelching noise, followed by a gasp of pain, and Beth retched harder. She stayed bent over, heaving for air, until the groans behind her stopped. She struggled to stand and warm hands wrapped around her torso. She leaned into a warm embrace, resting against the solidity that encompassed Daryl.

"I told you t'stay hidden," Daryl whispered.

Beth couldn't form a coherent response. The image of her knife plunging into the man's chest and the ease at which she was able to do so were burned into her memory. The scene was replaying like a broken record. It was becoming harder to breath. The more she tried to take a deep breath, the less air she seemed to inhale.

"Beth," Daryl's voice was firm.

She was light headed. Her sight was becoming blurry, but she wasn't sure if it was from lack of oxygen or her tears.

"Beth," Daryl repeated.

She was panting, desperately trying to fill her lungs, but unable to suck in any air. Her mouth went dry and she clutched at her chest in pain.

"Fuck! _Beth_!" Daryl pulled her away from his chest and placed his hands on either side of her face, his fingers threading through her tousled hair, forcing her to look up at him.

"In through your nose," Daryl breathed in deeply.

Beth tried to copy him.

"Out through your mouth," he exhaled slowly.

Beth struggled to do as he asked.

"Keep goin'," Daryl demanded.

Beth stared into his eyes, trying to mimic his breathing, but finding the involuntary action nearly impossible.

"Beth, you gotta' relax," Daryl coaxed her.

After several attempts, their eyes never parting, Beth began calming down. Her lungs burned and she was sure that her ribs would be sore from just _breathing_, not counting the aches she would feel from her scuffle earlier.

Daryl remained silent, his clear eyes gauging her, and when she had taken her third deep breath, he let his hands drop to her shoulders. Beth leaned forward, pressing her forehead against his collarbone. She felt weak and her muscles burned, but she was grateful for every deep gulp of air she was able to take.

"Is he…" She managed to rasp out.

"Yeah," Daryl answered.

"I just…he…and there were two…" Beth rambled.

Beth felt his fingers dig into her shoulder before he was pushing her way enough to stare down at her. She met his eyes again, but she felt nothing from the glare he was giving her.

"Don't," Daryl hissed, "That's why I told ya' t'stay back."

"I couldn't just let them take you off somewhere! Or worse, _kill_ you!" Beth's argued. She had no delusions as to what would have happened to Daryl had she not done as she had.

"I said I could take care'ah myself," Daryl's glare intensified.

"Well I wasn't just gonna' sit there and watch. I'm done with being sidelined!" Beth raised her voice a little too loud.

They both glanced around; making sure no one had heard them. When no shouts of intruders or curious snipers appeared, Beth brought her gaze back to Daryl. He stared down at her, eyes filled with conflicting emotions, and he let his hands fall from her shoulders.

"I told you I had your back," Beth whispered, "I meant it."

Several heartbeats later, Daryl was the first to turn away. She watched him bend down to pick up his crossbow, peaking at her from under his bangs, and offered her a withdrawn response.

"Come'on. We got more t'do."

…

"I was thinkin' there'd be _more_ snipers toward the center of the community, but none?" Beth questioned in disbelief.

"Somethin' don't feel right," Daryl agreed.

"You think they know we're here?" Beth scanned the courtyard area for signs of people on alert.

"Can't say," Daryl shifted his weight, leaning forward from his crouched position to look over the edge of the roof.

They had only come across two more snipers. They had each grabbed an automatic rifle from their victims, knowing full and well that when the time came, their crossbows would be useless. She pressed the spare clip sticking out of her back pocket further down; the metal case sliding up as she squatted down further to peer over the ledge with Daryl.

"What do ya' think we should do?" Beth asked, not seeing anything below them in the darkness.

"I say we double back. Stay on the roof until we get to where everyone's waitin'. Let them know we cleared out everyone we came across. See what Rick thinks," Daryl suggested.

"'Kay," Beth looked over his profile, "Sounds good to me."

Daryl cut his eyes to her before backing away from the edge. She followed behind him, feeling remorseful that she had made him so tense. She had told herself she would keep her emotions in check until they were done with Terminus and she was alone. That she needed to at least hold up the façade of being numb to the lives they were taking for Daryl's sake. He didn't need her breaking down on him, regardless of whether or not her guilt was already swallowing her whole. He needed to be able to depend on her. He was getting his hands just as dirty as she was and he wasn't letting it show.

Her main source of guilt was when she had been left with no choices, and Daryl's safety had been at stake, she had been able to execute an unimaginable horror. Not only had she taken a man's life in such a personal manner; she had let him suffer.

Her mind replayed the scenario over and over again. She knew the only scenario that would have spared the man any pain was using her crossbow, but then she would have risked allowing the third man to get away and foiling their entire plan and endangering her loved one's lives. She would have to come to terms with what she had done, but that would have to happen later. She needed to get her mind back where it needed to be and focus on helping Daryl handle the rooftops.

When she finally got her thoughts in order she realized that he had stopped creeping forward, and she managed to catch herself a hairsbreadth before they would have collided. If he noticed, he didn't give her any indications, only focusing on the chasm between them and the next roof.

"We're gonna' have to jump," Daryl stated the obvious.

"Great," Beth replied flatly.

Beth could hear Daryl's smirk even though she couldn't see anything but the wings on his back.

"Ain't that far," Daryl said while he lifted the strap of his crossbow over his chest, securing the gun underneath his weapon.

"Says you," Beth leaned over to look at the alleyway beneath them, "and that is a _long_ way down."

In truth; they were only on a two-story building, but it might as well have been a skyscraper. Beth wouldn't say she had a 'fear of heights,' but the idea of jumping from one rooftop to another wasn't on her bucket list.

"Jus' don't look down," Daryl stated as if were the simplest answer in the world.

She watched in mild fascination as he took several steps back and shook his arms, visibly readying himself to jump. As soon as he took the first step, her stomach dropped. She felt wind from his movement as he ran past her. It wasn't until he safely, if not a bit ungracefully, landed on the other side that she felt her shoulders relax.

"You're turn," Daryl waved her over, chest heaving.

He may have appeared calm about jumping over the gap, but from the rise and fall of his chest, Beth wasn't so sure he wasn't just acting brave for her.

"Fine," Beth sighed, adjusting her crossbow over her back, the normal comfort slightly obscured from the rifle resting against her back.

She retraced the steps Daryl had just taken and stared across the space between them. The situation was a metaphor of sorts in Beth's eyes. Here they were, both from different backgrounds, growing up in a starkly contrasted family environment, and they should have been literally worlds apart.

Then Beth ran. She forced her feet to propel her faster and when she reached the end of the roof she jumped.

Even being completely different types of people, the two of them had found each other and formed an unbreakable bond. She had managed to penetrate his defenses; always running to him and never letting him run away. He had given her strength when she had little left of her own. He had made her strong and she had given him hope.

When her feet landed on the concrete, his arms wrapped around her and kept her from falling. She gripped his biceps tightly, trying to steady herself, and when she looked up at him she found the corners of his lips slightly upturned in the smallest of smiles.

Regardless of the fact that their paths would have never crossed _before_, she would be forever grateful that their fates had changed. She would always run after him and he would always catch her.

Beth wasn't sure what expression she held on her face, but from the look Daryl was giving her, she had displayed all of her thoughts for him like an open book. His grip on her waist was soft, yet strong, and she was suddenly very aware of his fingers against the skin where her shirt had been torn.

They were covered in blood, sweat, and dirt. They had done things tonight that they would never speak of to anyone. Yet she had never felt more equal to anyone in her entire life. Even though she wasn't sure she would ever 'fit' in the world they lived in now, she at least had moments like these. Moments when the world seemed its darkest, light would filter through and rekindle her _own_ hope. Daryl cleared his throat, "Couple of more rooftops and we should be right above everyone."

Beth nodded and let go of his arms. His touch lingered over her waist a few more moments and then they were running again.

…

As they reached the outskirts of Terminus, having successfully navigated the maze of rooftops, Beth's fears were realized. Rick, Carl, Abraham, Bob, Sasha, and Tyreese were all being held at gunpoint by two men. Maggie, Glenn, and Michonne were nowhere in sight and that both comforted and unnerved Beth.

Beth could hear one man giving them instructions, but was unable to make out the words. When everyone began dropping their weapons, Beth knew what their instructions had been. The two men began conversing to themselves and she knew they had to do something quick or their cover would be blown, if it hadn't already.

"See anyone else?" She asked.

"Nuh uh. Looks like they just found 'em," Daryl's eyes were sharp even in the dark.

Pulling her crossbow around , she removed the strap that held it on her shoulder. Whispering quietly she readied herself, "I got the one of the left. You take the one on the right."

Daryl's only response was pulling his crossbow up and taking aim.

Beth swallowed and fell into the natural pose that Daryl had taught her. She looked into the sight mounted on the crossbow and took aim at the man standing to the left. Holding the crossbow solid and steady, she took a long, deep breath in. She _had_ to hit the mark. If she was even an inch or two off, she risked hitting Rick. On the exhale, she squeezed the trigger with her index finger and let the bolt fly.

The two men dropped simultaneously, the neon green fletching of their bolts shining in the moonlight. As soon as the men fell, Rick motioned to everyone, each of them snatching up their guns and racing back to the alley way under her and Daryl.

"Boy, am I glad to see you two," relief evident in Rick's smile.

"Where's Maggie and Glenn?" Beth blurted out.

"They went ahead to scout with Michonne. We were afraid something might have happened to you two," Rick answered truthfully.

"We ran into some trouble. We handled it," Daryl kept the statement vague.

Rick glanced between the two of them from where he stood below, seeming to understand, and didn't press the matter, "The rooftops clear then?"

"Far as we can tell," Daryl replied.

"We didn't see any on the roofs near the center of town," Beth added.

Rick's hand slide through his hair, "What do ya' think Daryl?"

Daryl fiddled with his crossbow, his teeth anxiously gnawing at his bottom lip. He took a deep breath and Beth knew whatever he was about to say wasn't going to be in their favor, "They probably know we're here. May not know where we're at specifically, but they know they got intruders lurkin' around. That's my guess."

"Damn it," Rick cursed.

"So what do we do?" Abraham spoke up.

"We definitely can't stay here. Those guys snuck up on us, but we got lucky with you two showing up when you did. If they found us, more guys will eventually come this way," Sasha added.

"I agree," Bob said, now holding onto one of the automatic rifles Michonne had taken from the armory.

"Alright. Here's how it's gonna' go. Daryl and Beth, you two stay on the rooftops. We'll leave two buildings between us. Keep an eye out ahead of us and take care of any more snipers you come across. Anyone got an idea for what we can use as a signal?" Rick finished.

They couldn't yell, or whistle, or even clap. It had to be a quiet, barely audible signal that only those below would hear.

"Daryl, give me that second clip you picked up," Beth requested.

He pulled one of the two extra clips he had taken and handed it to her. Beth repositioned her crossbow over her shoulder and grabbed the clip from him. Holding the clip with one hand, she gently pushed the bullets out with her thumb.

"Can we toss a few of these down?" Beth asked, holding the stray bullets she had removed in her hand.

Daryl took two and tossed them over the edge. A few, short chimes rang as the bullets bounced on the ground, "Ain't the safest with the primer still attached, but I think it'll work."

"It's loud enough for us to hear, but it shouldn't alert anyone," Carl agreed.

"It'll do," Rick affirmed.

"We'll lead the way to the boxcars. We'll let ya' know when to turn. Place is a fuckin' maze," Daryl groused.

"Hopefully we'll run into Michonne, Maggie, and Glenn. They shouldn't be too far ahead of us," Tyreese disclosed.

"Then let's get a move on," Abraham held his gun against his shoulder.

Daryl turned to Beth, "You ready?"

Beth narrowed her eyes, handing him the last of the bullets she had removed from the clip, and took a steadying breath. She had felt a rollercoaster of emotions during their excursion, most of which she would feel the repercussions of bearing down on her soul for years to come, but she was still alive; still breathing. As long as she was able, she would do the right thing, regardless of what moral consequences she would have to face later.

"Let's go free those people," Beth answered somberly.

Then they were moving, running in the direction of the rail cars they had passed by several days before. This time they weren't defenseless and knew _exactly_ what kind of people they were dealing with. Tonight Terminus' scheme would come to an end.

_Daddy…I need your help just a little while longer._

**A/N: **Had to do a little researching on how to "properly" shoot a crossbow. I've toyed with a compound bow so I knew the gist of it, but I'm giving ehow credit for helping me word everything properly! : )

Let me know what you think! I love hearing feedback!


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** A nod to the genius Robert Kirkman for creating this wonderfully dark, post-apocalyptic world. I do not own or have rights to any of the characters/plot of this series. I'm simply a fan indulging in my post-apocalyptic fantasies.

**Thank you** Nicole137137 for editing this so quickly for me today!

Sorry for the late night update! Had a busy day today! : )

...

Beth pressed her back further against the trio of metal exhaust pipes on the roof of the building she had hunkered down on. Bullets were flying, people were screaming, and it was utter chaos. She had gotten separated from Daryl in the midst of the fight. They had been providing cover while Rick and the others worked on getting everyone out of the boxcar.

She and Daryl had been crouched on the roof when the first bullets sped past them. She felt herself being shoved to the ground, Daryl yelling at her to find cover, and then shots began firing beside her. In a brief moment of panic she had laid frozen, eyes desperately scanning for Daryl. She spotted him a few feet away, firing the gun he had taken from a deceased Terminus resident. He was attracting their attention, Beth had realized, by propelling her out of sight and opening fire upon the men who had rushed them on the roof.

Another bullet whizzed beside her, penetrating the metal cylinders, and exiting beside her head. Beth's hands instinctively went to shield her head as she ducked her chin into her chest. She had no idea whether everyone was under attack or if they had managed to get the captives out. A more pressing concern was the fact that she couldn't find Daryl in any direction she looked. Most of the men firing had indeed chased after him, but there were still a handful opening fire upon her.

"Get it together Greene," Beth whispered to herself.

She ripped her crossbow off of her shoulders, careful not to expose her arms past the exhaust piping that acted as her shield, and dropped it at her feet in a loud clatter. She then pulled the gun that had been resting against her back around and flicked the safety off with her thumb. Another bullet flew through the metal behind her and Beth winced at how close their aim had been to hitting her. Pulling the bolt back, she loaded a round in the chamber, and gathered the courage to peer around the cylinder to the shooters behind her.

"One…two…three…," Beth counted to herself before forcing her body to do as she commanded.

Two men ducked down behind a vent while a third was standing in the open, but she couldn't risk revealing herself long enough to make sure there weren't more lurking. She pressed herself against the conduit once more, sliding over to examine the other side.

"Come out, come out…we _know_ where you are," one of the men taunted.

"Didn't yer' momma ever teach ya' not t'play with yer' food Jonas?" Another voice jeered.

Beth cringed. Her body ached from the exertion she had put forth in the last several hours, she was mentally and emotionally drained, and she just wanted everything to be _done._ Taking a deep breath, she peeked around the pipe, counting another man and a woman with their sights trained in her direction. Beth jerked herself away in time for another round of projectiles to fly past her.

"Quit screwin' around over there," the female yelled over the chaos.

Beth heard the men to her left yelling back and knew she had to take the small window of opportunity she had. She double-checked that the safety was off, took a deep breath, and slung herself around the conduits. She fired two short bursts, the first missing the man standing out in the open completely, while the second set of bullets hit him squarely in his bicep. The man was turned, only giving Beth his profile while he yelled at the women across from him, and fell limply to the ground; the bullet having travelled through his arm and exiting out the other side of his torso. Beth's aim wasn't as accurate, not being accustomed to the gun in her hands, but she hoped that she had pierced his heart. Mentally taking note of how off the gun's sights were, Beth took cover, and waited for her next opportunity.

Beth tried to ignore the earsplitting scream that erupted from the woman, but Beth felt it vibrate through her. Then the sounds she heard were reminiscent of rain bouncing off the tin roof of the barn when she would help her father clean the stables. Beth dropped onto her hands and knees, realizing that the four remaining attackers were spraying bullets and praying they hit her.

She could hear gunshots in the distance. She knew that loved ones were beneath her fighting for their lives. She had lost sight of Daryl and was outnumbered. Beth tried to swallow the lump forming in her throat. She refused to give up; however, she knew the odds were not in her favor. She was on her own.

_Daryl isn't coming_.

The phrase echoed in her. Flashes of being locked in the trunk of a black car, fighting for her life on a run gone wrong, and surviving all winter long by herself filtered through her mind. She was on her own and that was okay. She likely wouldn't make it out of this alive, but she had to keep fighting. She couldn't give up. Giving up meant you were dead and Beth was _not_ dead yet.

She crouched down, resting her weight on the ball of her heels, and peered around the metal piping once more. They were still firing bullets at random, aiming higher, where she had been standing. Taking into consideration how off the sights of the gun were, Beth leaned out from behind her shield and fired several quick rounds, taking out the man with a clean shot to the head and wounding the woman. She didn't wait to see how badly injured the woman was before she hid behind the exhaust conduit again to take cover from the remaining gunman.

Pulling the now empty clip from her gun, Beth reloaded the gun and pulled the bolt back to once again load a bullet in the chamber. It had gotten eerily quiet behind her and Beth felt her skin crawl. The chaos reigning on the ground was deafening, but not being able to hear anyone behind her drowned out everything else. She knew there was one more man. She had counted two men on one side as well as a man and woman on the other. She was positive of this.

Easing her way away from the piping, Beth aimed her gun in front of her. She slowly stepped away from her makeshift and battered shield, careful not to trip over her crossbow, with her sights trained forward. Her eyes scanned the rooftop for the fourth man. Two lay dead and the moans of pain from the woman were easily recognizable, but the fourth gunman eluded her.

Movement to her left had her turning and firing before she had time to process her own reaction. Dark burgundy seeped through the man's gray cotton shirt. Three perfect circles formed on his torso and bled into a giant stain that covered his stomach. The man fell to his knees, gun clattering on the concrete roof. Beth wasted no time in checking their clips and relieving them of any spare ammunition.

Now having two full clips in her back pockets, Beth was faced with a dilemma worse than being outnumbered four to one. She had to decide whether to kill these two injured people or leave them. There was a chance that their injuries wouldn't kill them, or not the woman, for she was certain the man had already lost too much blood. The woman had only sustained a gunshot wound that pierced straight through her shoulder.

Beth stood over the man. Blood pooled around him from where he lay on his stomach. She knew it had to be done, she knew she had to kill him, but her hands trembled around the gun she held. Every other life she had ever extinguished had been in an act of self-defense.

"Shoot me," the man wheezed out, "I don't wanna' turn into one of those bastards."

This was murdering an innocent man.

"Hurry and kill me while I'm still _me_," the man begged.

She was letting yet another person suffer; unable to commit the final act.

"Please," he whispered.

Beth raised her gun and aimed at the man's head. She would not repeat what had happened earlier on the roof with Daryl when she had lost herself in the grief of her actions. This time she would finish what she started.

"Forgive me," Beth whispered and then she pulled the trigger.

This was showing mercy.

Sucking in a shuddering breath, Beth closed her eyes and tried to block the sight at her feet from her mind. She'd added yet another person to the list of lives she'd taken. Turning around, she opened her eyes once more, and moved to collect her crossbow. Securing her weapons, she glanced over the edge and felt relief that all of the railcar's doors were now open, but the mass of bodies that littered the ground made the small victory taste bitter. Praying that Maggie, Glenn, and the rest of the group that had been on the ground were safe, she adjusted the strap of her crossbow, and took off in the direction she had last seen Daryl.

…

Several bodies lined the roof, almost creating a trail of breadcrumbs, and she followed them in the hopes that they would lead her to Daryl. After she came across the fourth body, she could hear heavy gunfire, but the various levels of the buildings created walls and barriers that obstructed her sight. She could hear people yelling, their voices becoming more articulate as she crept closer, but she still had not seen anyone.

"Just come out and we'll make this quick!" Beth heard a man yell ahead of her.

She knew right then and there that she had found Daryl. She approached the ledge of the building she was on and looked down. There was an "L" shaped access around the building below here where the third story didn't cover the expanse of the entire roof. Sitting on the ledge, Beth pushed off and landed with a thud on the roof below.

She crept to the end of the brick wall, passing a rusted ladder, and waited. Several shots caused Beth to jump and step back around the wall. Looking around, Beth saw nothing that would help her identify the number of men waiting around the corner. She pressed her lips into a thin line and looped the strap of her gun around her neck, letting the weapon hang loosely against her chest. She then removed her crossbow and nocked one of her two remaining bolts.

Leaning her head back against the brick wall, Beth took a moment to collect herself. Breathing in deeply, she held onto her crossbow as if it were her lifeline. Sadly, from where she stood, her crossbow would in fact _be_ her lifeline. She had the rifle as well, but the moment she fired it, her position would be disclosed.

Then a thought struck her. She snuck away from the edge of the wall and rushed back to the ladder she had passed by. She placed her foot on one of the steps, testing her weight on the rusted metal. Satisfied that it seemed sturdy enough, she grabbed the railing with her free hand and awkwardly climbed up. The ladder creaked and moaned under the stress she applied with each step, but Beth didn't stop. She kept climbing until she reached high enough to peer over the top of the third story roof.

The roof was vacant, but Beth soon understood why. The concrete was cracked and crumbling. Holes big enough for her to fall through were scattered across the surface. Beth let out an exasperated sigh. As if their situation weren't difficult enough, she now had to navigate a minefield.

Easing her way onto the roof, Beth gently placed her feet onto the concrete. Slowly standing, she applied pressure to the rooftop, and tiptoed around any cracks she saw. Ambling carefully to the edge, she could see three men hunkered down behind the building's air conditioning unit. Her eyes continued scanning until she found Daryl.

She couldn't make out his exact condition in the dark, but he didn't look healthy. He was sitting on the ground, slouched against a ventilation duct with his crossbow on the ground and gun in hand, but he wasn't making much effort to move. Beth immediately knew something was wrong. Quickly looking over the roof once more, she drew her crossbow, took a deep breath, and impaled the man farthest from her straight through the head.

Any concerns of killing a human being were forgotten the moment she saw Daryl. He could be bleeding out, dying, and she needed to get to him quickly. It was only when the men began shouting about Beth's bolt sticking out of their friends skull did she see Daryl react. Beth didn't have time to see if he would notice her. She ducked back away from the ledge, reloaded her crossbow, and took aim at whichever man made an easier target. The both of them were rushing over towards their dead comrade. She didn't have a clear shot.

She risked a glance at Daryl, finding him moving, favoring his left side. He was looking for her and she knew he would eventually locate her, the fact that he hadn't already confirmed he wasn't in the best shape, thus she turned her attention back to her two targets. They too were searching the rooftops with their eyes. When her eyes locked with one of the gunmen, Beth fired her last bolt, and bullets soon followed.

She threw herself against the concrete roof, the shots fired at her imbedding into the lip of the brick building. She then crawled away from the edge, knowing she had lost the advantage of being a story above them, and eased herself far enough away to get on her hands and knees. Her crossbow scraped against the roof and she cursed at the noise. The bullets behind her had finally stopped taking chunks out of the brick building, but she had never heard a second set of shots fired. She could only assume that meant that Daryl was out of ammo. Had she been given the chance, she would have thrown him one of the spare clips she had taken, but she couldn't guarantee she would have thrown it far enough to reach him or that he would have been able to get to it if she had.

When she felt a safe distance away from the edge she stood and carefully hopped over the holes in the roof back to the ladder. She didn't bother checking to make sure the area was clear before she began descending the ladder. She knew it would only be a matter of time before the shooter appeared from around the corner and she needed to be on the ground when that happened.

Once her feet hit the ground she pulled her gun and focused on the corner in front of her. She waited. She knew she needed to be moving forward, moving to Daryl, but she knew the moment she started the man would appear and catch her of off-guard. She could do nothing for Daryl if she got herself shot or killed.

Sweat trickled down her brow and into her eye. She blinked several times, but refused to remove her hands from the gun. Her racing heart thrummed in her ears and she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. She could hear shuffling in front of her and pressed the gun harder to her shoulder. She focused down the sights of the gun, clenching her finger tighter around the trigger.

She was beginning to pull the trigger when a familiar figure rounded the corner. He was drenched in sweat and there was blood covering his left pant leg just above his knee; saturating the material all the way to his boot. He stopped when he saw her and Beth realized his pant leg wasn't the only thing covered in blood. Specks of it dotted his face and various areas of his flannel shirt were adorned with fresh blood.

Beth dropped her gun, looped her crossbow around to her back, and ran to him. The relief she felt seeing him now was so overwhelming that if she had had the energy to cry, she might have. She threw her arms around his neck, her chest heaving in dry sobs, and took comfort in the sound of his heartbeat. Where he would have normally tensed at her physical contact, he was lax, a testament to how tired he truly must have been.

"I told you I'd find ya'," Beth whispered into his neck.

She felt a light pressure on her lower back and smiled. It wasn't a grand gesture, but Daryl was finally returning an embrace. She didn't push the limits, pulling back after a few moments, and squatted down to look at his leg.

"Through and through?" Beth asked as she scrutinized the small hole in his pants over the wound.

"Yeah," Daryl grunted.

Ripping off the already loose material that hung from the hem of her shirt, Beth tied it around his thigh, applying pressure to the wound. She stood, wiping her hands on her shirt to remove the fresh blood from her hands, and turned back to pick up her gun.

"You think you can walk on your own?" Beth inquired over her shoulder.

Daryl didn't dignify her question with a response and instead limped toward her.

"Yeah. That's not gonna' work," Beth sighed at his stubbornness.

Adjusting her crossbow so that it wouldn't catch on his, she situated herself under his left side and looped his arm around her shoulder. Daryl didn't put up a fight and instead leaned his weight against her.

"We should catch up with the others. I've got a few clips of ammo left," Beth stated as they slowly walked to the building's fire escape.

"Sounds like things have quieted down some," Daryl acknowledged from the lack of gunfire in the background.

"They're all fine. They must have taken care of everythin' already. Gotten' things sorted out," Beth tried to cover for the anxiety she felt.

Daryl didn't immediately reply. Beth focused on helping him down the steps, ignoring his curse words, and stabilizing his left side as much as she could. When they finally reached the ground he pulled his arm away from her, shifting his weapons around to his front, and leaned against the wall.

"Beth," Daryl got her attention, "If things ain't right. If it's just me an' you again…"

"They're going to be _fine_ Daryl," Beth didn't let him finish. She refused to think of any alternate explanations as to why things had settled down.

Daryl stared at her and dropped his gaze to his feet. She knew he was right and she knew that he was aware as well, but she had just gotten Maggie back. She couldn't allow herself to think that all of this was for naught.

She heard him moving beside her and looked to make sure he wasn't trying to walk. He was pulling two bolts from his crossbow's quiver and she recognized the neon orange fletching.

"Here," Daryl extended his hand toward her.

Beth took her bolts from his grasp and went about nocking her crossbow. She saw that Daryl had none left for his crossbow and gave one of her bolts back.

"In case you need one," she said flicking her wrist towards him a few times.

Daryl nodded his head once and took the ammunition she offered.

"If…" she began, causing him to look up at her, "If things aren't right. If it's just you and me. We go straight to the Blazer and meet back up with Carol and everyone else there."

The look in Daryl's eyes expressed the understanding that he had tried to get across to her earlier. She didn't want to believe that things could have gone wrong, but she wasn't disillusioned to the reality of their world. They had seen so many of their friends die at the hands of men and walkers alike.

Their goal had been accomplished. They had freed the people held captive in the boxcars. Their secondary objective had been to take Terminus down, to keep them from doing these heinous crimes to other human beings, and she just prayed that even though she and Daryl hadn't been able to provide them with the cover they had needed they had at least kept the gunmen on the roofs from adding to the gunfire.

"Let's go find 'em," Daryl finally spoke up.

Beth smiled at his attempt at optimism, and reclaimed her place under his left side.

…

"Alright. This is what we're going to do," a familiar voice filled Beth's ears.

She looked up at Daryl with a smile so big that her cheeks hurt. He in turn gave her a half smile and Beth's smile widened even further. They came out of the alleyway, into the courtyard, to see a large group of men and women on their knees with their hands tied behind their backs. They were surrounded by a few familiar faces, but the majority of people pointing a gun were strangers. Beth assumed them to be the once captives of Terminus. She smirked at the irony of the situation. They froze when several guns pointed their direction and it was Abraham that came to their defense.

"Whoa now! These guys are with us," he moved between the pointed weapons and the two of them.

The guns immediately fell back to the tied Terminus residents. Beth let out a sigh of relief and felt the hold around her shoulders loosen. She hadn't even realized Daryl had pulled her closer until he had relaxed his grip.

"You guys alright? Thought for sure you'd been offed when we lost cover from the roof," Abraham's brash comment came as no surprise. Beth had already pegged him for the blunt, straightforward type.

"We ran inta' some trouble," Daryl replied flatly.

"You guys alright?" Rick approached from behind Abraham.

"For tha' most part," Daryl reached out and accepted Ricks hand, clasping around his forearm and holding firmly.

"Bob's in that building over there," Rick gestured, "Had a few residents kind enough to show us where they kept their medical supplies. Go get yer'self patched up."

"Hey Rick," Beth stopped him, "There's a woman on the roof."

Rick's eyes followed the direction Beth pointed, "Alright. I'll send someone up to get her. You get him taken care of."

Beth glanced up at Daryl, knowing he wasn't too fond of their resident medic, but to her relief he nodded and began moving in the direction Rick had indicated.

He was slowing down and looked paler than usual. Beth felt him putting more weight on her than he had before. As soon as they reached the building she helped him sit on one of the cots in the room. Bob, with Maggie close behind, came over to them as soon as they recognized them.

"What happened?" Bob bent down to look at Daryl's leg.

Daryl made a move to stand and Beth put her hand on his shoulder, "He got shot."

"It's a through and through. Doesn't look like it hit anything inside. How long ago were you shot?" Bob asked in an all-business tone.

"Couple'ah hours maybe?" Daryl replied.

Beth wasn't sure how long they had been on the roofs. She knew it had seemed like a blur, but she had no realistic concept for a timeline.

"It's drained quite a bit, but he'll need stitches on the exit wound. We can just bandage the back of his leg. Let me get the stuff," Bob finished.

"Hell if you do," Daryl hissed.

"Look man. I know you and I aren't on the greatest of terms, but you've gotta' get that sewn up," Bob tried to persuade Daryl.

"I don't need no stitches. Just bring me some bandages," Daryl argued.

"Beth," Bob turned to her, "His wounds have to be closed to prevent infection. He won't listen to me."

Beth looked down to Daryl who was glaring up at her, daring her to try and get him to trust Bob, and she sighed, "Bob get the stuff-"

"He ain't stitchin' me up," Daryl snarled.

"_I'll do it_," Beth continued, ignoring Daryl's interruption.

"You can't just stitch someone up Beth," Bob began.

"She can," Maggie announced, "Beth's helped daddy mend animals on the farm plenty of times. She can do it."

With Maggie's declaration, Bob didn't bother pushing the issue and left them to get the materials she would need. He returned a moment later and Beth got straight to work. She first removed her makeshift bandage that had once been a part of her shirt. She then cut a hole in both sides of his jeans where the bullet had entered and exited, having to bend awkwardly to get the backside. She then sterilized his wounds with alcohol, forcing a steady stream of curses from Daryl's lips, and placed a clean bandage over the back of his leg. She then cleaned the needle and hesitated.

"This is gonna' hurt," Beth looked up at him apologetically, "There's nothin' to numb the pain."

"Jus' get on with it," Daryl grit out.

"Alright," Beth gave him a weak smile, "Lay on your back."

Daryl followed her request and laid down on the cot. She looked around for anything he could bite down on and Bob, seemingly reading her mind, handed her a wad of gauze.

"Best I could find," Bob explained.

"It'll have to do," Beth acknowledged, "Daryl. Bite down on this."

He took the gauze from her, but didn't place it between his teeth. Shaking her head at his obstinacy, she sat on her knees and inserted the needed into his skin. She met with resistance and had to force the needle through, the coarse string following behind, and Daryl groaned. She found purchase on the other side of the wound and pulled the skin together with her fingers. Daryl's next sound was muffled by the gauze in his mouth.

She worked quickly placing three neat stitches in his skin and effectively closing the wound. She glanced up at him and saw that he was sweating, chest heaving, and his forearm covered his eyes.

"All done," Beth said gently.

Daryl removed his arm and mumbled, "Thanks."

With Daryl taken care of, Beth's mind immediately jumped to Judith and the group waiting for them back at the Blazer.

"We need to let Carol and everyone know we're okay," Beth said aloud.

"Rick and everyone else are taking care of the Terminus residents and I've got a lot of people here that need taking care of," Bob replied.

"I'll go," Beth volunteered.

"The hell you will," Daryl tried to sit up.

"I'll be fine," Beth pressed him back down on the cot.

"She's right. They'd be safer here than they are in that Blazer," Maggie agreed, "I'll go with you."

Beth turned and smiled to her sister, immensely grateful that she understood and shared Beth's concerns, "Okay. We need to go now. The sun should be up soon."

Maggie nodded, leaving to gather her things.

Beth looked back down to Daryl who held a scowl, "We'll be gone and back before you know it."

"You watch yourselves," Daryl's glare remained.

"I've had a good teacher. I made it an entire winter on my own, remember?" Beth asked with a smile, trying to ease his anxiety.

Daryl exhaled through his nose and reached for his discarded crossbow, "Take your other bolt. In case you need it."

She smiled at his quoting of her words to him and took the bolt from his quiver. She could see that Maggie was finishing up and would be ready to go any second. She bit the inside of her cheek. She felt like she needed to _do_ something. She wasn't sure what, and the air between them wasn't clear, so she did the only thing that felt natural.

Bending down, she brushed some of his bangs away from his forehead, and pressed her lips softly to his skin. When she pulled back, Daryl's eyes were closed, and her hand lingered. Wiping some of the blood from his face, her eyes admired his features until they met sharp blue.

"You get some rest," she said softly.

Daryl didn't reply. He continued to stare at her with a look that Beth wasn't sure she understood and she gave him another weak smile.

"You ready?" Maggie asked as she approached.

Beth kept her gaze on Daryl a moment longer before standing and answering her sister, "Yeah. Let's go."

As she began following Maggie out of the room, she heard Daryl call to her.

"You'd better be back before sundown or I'm comin' to get ya'."

Beth smiled a true smile, nodded her head, and followed after Maggie. While she knew Daryl's threat was real, she couldn't help but be amused by the idea of him hobbling down the miles of road they had to travel to reach everyone waiting for them.

_Daryl...wait for me._

**A/N:** So the battle for Terminus has finally come to an end! Details of what happened will be revealed in later chapters, but Daryl and Beth both survived! Give me some feedback! XOXO


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** A nod to the genius Robert Kirkman for creating this wonderfully dark, post-apocalyptic world. I do not own or have rights to any of the characters/plot of this series. I'm simply a fan indulging in my post-apocalyptic fantasies.

**Thank you** Nicole137137 for catching the mistakes I missed! : )

...

Beth and Maggie had been traveling at a quick pace. It had taken quite a bit of persuasion, but the duo had managed to convince Glenn that Rick needed him far more than they would. It was only the trip _to_ the Blazer that they would be alone. Once they reached the vehicle they would be reunited with the rest of the group. Rosita had the semi-automatic rifle that Abraham had given her; Carol had her revolver, not to mention the handgun and rifle Maggie brought along with Beth's weapons.

"So…" Maggie interrupted Beth's thoughts.

"Yeah?" Beth asked.

"What happened to you guys on the roof?" Maggie inquired, turning her head to look at Beth.

Beth glanced at her, swallowing hard, as she came up with the vaguest explanation possible that would satisfy her sister, "We were ambushed. Daryl managed to attract most of the attention. I took care'ah the ones that stayed by me and helped Daryl clear out the guys still standin' when I caught up with him."

"You two got separated?" Maggie's expression was one of disbelief.

"Yeah. His plan worked too. Only a few stayed behind where I was. The majority chased after him," Beth clarified.

"Well I'm glad you took care of each other. If somethin' had happened to you…" Maggie's voice trailed off.

"Daryl got shot," Beth reminded her sister.

There was a brief pause before the ground drew Maggie's attention.

"I know," her sister's voice apologetic, "But Daryl's not one to let a bullet to tha' leg slow him down though. He'll be right as rain in a few days' time."

Beth knew that not long after she and Daryl reunited with Rick and everyone else, they had caught up with Michonne, Glenn, and Maggie. Daryl had spotted them first, hidden in the shadows a few feet from the boxcars, and had motioned to Beth. She in turn signaled to the group below, dropping a few shells, causing them to stop and look up at her. She whispered down that they had reached their destination and caught up with Maggie and the others. Rick requested Daryl and Beth provide cover on the roof. The moment the group on the ground advanced to the rail cars and began busting the locks, all hell broke loose. She and Daryl had begun firing, but were ambushed themselves just a few moments later.

Dwelling on her thoughts and deciding to change the subject, Beth asked, "What exactly happened after we were rushed on the roof?"

"We managed t'get some of the locks off," Maggie started.

When she didn't immediately continue, Beth glanced at her.

"Beth…the people inside there…" Her sister took on a forlorn expression.

"It's okay. You don't have t'say," Beth understood without having to hear the words how poor some of the captives health must have been.

"We had a hard time getting' the locks off the boxcar that was stacked on top," Maggie continued, "Abraham ended up yellin' for everyone to get to the back of the car and started shootin'. After that, the people healthy enough began pourin' out of the rail cars and Michonne escorted everyone back to the armory."

Beth nodded. That would explain where some of the extra muscle that she and Daryl had met came from.

"Then it was just a matter ah' time before we dwindled their numbers down," Maggie finished.

Beth had seen Rick, Abraham, and Glenn keeping the Terminus residents detained. Bob and Maggie had been in the clinic tending to the wounded. That left Tyreese, Sasha, Michonne, and Carl still unaccounted for.

"I didn't see Tyreese or Sasha?" Beth inquired.

"They went back for the sick and elderly who weren't able to get out after we got the locks off," Maggie explained, "I have no idea how many people died in tha' crossfire."

Beth couldn't think about death right now. Death lead to the thought of someone being killed and that in turn took her thoughts to the acts she had committed in the last twenty-four hours.

"Carl and Michonne?" Beth forced herself to ask.

"Michonne got shot," Maggie stated.

Beth's head whipped around to her sister.

"She's fine," Maggie immediately amended, "She got caught in the arm. Bob had her wound cleaned and wrapped in no time. Then her an' Carl went with a group of people to search through Terminus and gather supplies.

Beth's face must have betrayed her thoughts because Maggie gave her a questioning look.

"We don't know any of these people. It's not safe to trust them to help us," Beth murmured.

Maggie looked perplexed. She didn't say anything, but Beth knew that look. She was trying to figure something out and couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"What?" Beth huffed.

"Just trying to figure out where my naïve little sister went. I knew you'd changed, I've said as much, but I'm jus' not used to hearing things like that comin' from you," Maggie answered.

"I told you. I had to change," Beth sighed.

"We ever gonna' talk about what happened? When you were alone?" Maggie broached her cautiously.

Beth scanned their surroundings. She was paying attention to what Maggie was saying, but she also made sure not to get too caught up in the conversation like last time. She had chastised herself and Daryl had given her enough hell about it that the combination would ensure she _never _made that mistake again.

"Beth?" Her sister prodded.

She wasn't sure how to answer Maggie. There were things that she had had to do in order to survive that she didn't want to relive. She didn't want to share her experience with anyone. She didn't want anyone to know so they could keep thinking of her as the innocent person she no longer was. She didn't want anyone to think differently of her. It may have been a stupid notion, but she almost relished in the idea that she could still be 'Beth from the prison.'

"Maybe someday Maggie," she finally replied.

Beth could feel the tension between them. Maggie wanted to pry. She wanted to interrogate her and ask a million questions like she had when Beth was in high school, but life was different now. With the utter lack of privacy, as safety in numbers took priority, the only solitude a person was left with was in their thoughts.

"That bad huh?" Maggie settled for asking, looking at her sister with concern.

"Yeah…it was," Beth answered vaguely.

The conversation came to an end and she walked in semi-comfortable silence for a while. Beth mulled over her memories of last winter. The nights she'd spent tied to the trunk of a tree, hiding up in the branches off of the ground, because there was no safe place to sleep. The times she'd had to go days without food because she wasn't able to properly set a trap. The times she'd had to hide and watch a larger gang slaughter innocent groups for their possessions. All anyone was doing was trying to survive.

The Theory of Natural Selection at its finest.

…

Her eyes scanned the trees. They had been walking for several hours, catching up on this and that, but the farther down the tracks they traveled the more Beth felt on edge. Maggie seemed to be oblivious or was much better at hiding her tension. They hadn't come across any walker's yet and Beth wasn't sure what exactly she was expecting, but she sure wasn't anticipating an easy trip.

"So..." Maggie once again broke Beth's train of thought.

"Hmm?" Beth hummed.

"You and Daryl got out together," Maggie said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah. It was just me and him for a while," Beth replied smoothly.

"You two seem close," Maggie acknowledge.

"I've gotten pretty good at readin' him," Beth agreed.

"He teach you how to use that?" Maggie pointed to the crossbow strapped to her back.

"Uh huh. I wanted to learn how to track, hunt, and get better at defending myself. He taught me the basics before we got separated. I just took everything he taught me and got better through learnin' from my mistakes," Beth explained thoughtfully.

"Daryl's a good man," Maggie announced.

Beth looked over at her sister, not sure of the reason for Maggie's sudden declaration. Maggie met her gaze with a smile and Beth felt the corner of her lips creeping upward.

"He is," Beth concurred.

"Who'da thought?" Maggie teased.

Beth laughed, "He's definitely changed a lot, but I think tha' goodness was always there. He just didn't know it."

"Daddy respected him. He's partly responsible for the reason you're still here. That's enough for me," Maggie's statement struck a chord with Beth.

Daryl had become a very important person to Beth. It didn't _really _make any difference what Maggie thought, but hearing her speak so highly of Daryl made Beth feel a sense of pride. She was the type that looked for the good in everyone, Maggie had always been more leery of people, so for Maggie to compliment Daryl the way she had meant a lot to Beth.

"I'm glad you found Glenn," Beth reciprocated the direction of Maggie's conversation.

She had meant it in both the literal and metaphoric way. She was glad Maggie had found someone who made her so happy, that balanced her temper with rationalization, but also that they had been able to find each other after the prison fell. It would have been so easy to assume that one or the other were dead, but neither one of them had stopped looking. They wouldn't have stopped looking until they had proof in the form of a walking corpse that the other was no longer among them.

"Is it ironic that I found my happiness in an apocalypse?" Maggie snickered.

Beth giggled, "Daddy always said God worked in mysterious ways."

"Daddy said a lot of things," Maggie's features took on a far off look.

"Daddy was a great man," Beth said softly.

"The best," Maggie agreed.

…

They were still a good half a mile away when the first gunshots rang through the air. Beth's breath caught in her throat and she turned her gaze to Maggie, whose wild expression mirrored her own. Maggie's eyes narrowed and Beth nodded her head. Without saying a word the two began running in the direction of the vehicle.

A million thoughts ran through Beth's head. She knew the shots came from the Blazer. They were too close to their destination for it to be anyone else and that fact made Beth push herself to run faster. If they were firing, it would attract walkers, and if it was walkers they were already dealing with then it would only bring _more_ of the undead to their vicinity. There was also the chance that it _wasn't_ walkers causing whoever it was to resort to using their gun. That thought scared Beth even more.

"What do ya' think it is?" Maggie said between breaths.

"I dunno' know. Could be walkers. Could be raiders. Whatever it is, it's bad," Beth raised her voice to speak over the pounding of her heartbeat in her ears.

She could see the Blazer in the distance. The distance between them seemed to keep getting farther away the faster she tried to run. She could make out dozens of bodies around the vehicle and was almost certain of what she was seeing.

"Beth," Maggie's voice sounded distressed.

"I see," Beth's voice wasn't much different, "I have to nock my crossbow."

Beth abruptly stopped, slinging her weapons off her shoulder. Maggie stopped a few paces ahead and waited for her. She nocked her crossbow as quickly as possible, threw her rifle back over her shoulder, and began running once more.

The closer they came to the Blazer, the more walkers Beth could see. It was a smaller group than they'd come across before, but it was a herd nonetheless. There was a figure standing on top of the vehicle, shooting down walkers, but more took their place.

"It's Rosita," Maggie too had seen the person atop of the Blazer.

Beth didn't bother responding. She ran to the closest walker to her and swung the stock of her crossbow as hard as she could, effectively bashing in the back of the walker's head. She was careful to keep her distance from the vehicle. She couldn't help them if she got surrounded and needed help herself.

"There's too many," Beth said under her breath.

She swung her crossbow again, knocking another walker back, and repeated the action to kill the undead abomination. More walkers were abandoning their mission and instead coming for the easier meal; Maggie and Beth.

Beth lurched when she heard Rosita scream her sister's name. Maggie was oblivious to the walker approaching her from behind, within arm's reach of grabbing her, and Beth reacted on instinct. She pulled up her crossbow and fired a bolt through the creatures head. When the walker dropped, removing the barrier it created between her and her sister, Beth was given a clear view of Maggie's awestruck gaze.

Beth could have laughed if it weren't for the bloodthirsty monsters surrounding them. It was a bit of a boost to her ego that her sister was shocked by her marksmanship. She didn't carry the weapon around for its ornamental value. Then again, she realized that this was the first time Maggie had ever seen her actually _use_ her crossbow.

Snapping out of her reverie, Beth pulled out her knife and slung the crossbow back over her shoulder. She had one bolt left and no time to nock it. Rosita continued to shoot down the walker's that were getting too close to the windows, but she would soon run out of ammo. She and Maggie had their guns, but the more shots they fired, the more walkers they attracted. While a majority had turned in their direction, several more still attacked the Blazer.

Beth felt utterly helpless. Her Judith, Carol, a man Abraham was risking his life for, the woman protecting him, and the younger woman who had helped reunite Glenn and Maggie were all trapped within the small confines of a metal frame. If they didn't do something drastic, the walkers were going to get to them and there would be nothing Beth could do about it.

Beth stabbed another walker in the head, holding firm to the handle of her blade, and placing her boot squarely in its chest to shove it off. Panic began seeping in as her eyes darted every which way in the hopes that she could come up with a plan. She just felt like screaming. So she did. Beth began screaming and yelling. Doing everything she could to get the walker's attention.

"_Beth_!" Maggie hissed between screams, "What in tha' _hell_ are you doin'?"

"We've got to draw them away from the vehicle," Beth yelled to her.

Beth could see the wheels turning in Maggie's head.

"Look," Beth pointed to the vehicle, "Rosita shot out the windshield. That's how she was able to get on top of the Blazer. If we can give them enough time to get out, you can get them back."

"Okay we can…wait," Maggie backtracked while pulling her knife from a walker's eye socket, "What do you mean _I can get them back_."

"Someone has to keep them occupied," Beth answered, narrowly avoiding a walker's grasp.

"No! No way!" Maggie vehemently denied, "We're all going back to Terminus. _Together_."

"Look around us Maggie!" Beth yelled, thrusting her blade upward through the underside of a walker's jaw and into its brain, "We don't have any other options."

"You take them back. I'll distract the herd," Maggie suggested, kicking a walker back that had gotten too close.

"We both know that if I came back without you, Glenn would come out here looking for you. Probably get himself killed in the process," Beth argued, ripping the hem of her shirt further as she pulled away from a walker, "And I will come back. Just after you guys get away and the herd moves on."

"Beth-" Maggie began again.

"I survived. I'm a survivor too Maggie. I'll make it back. You just have to have a little faith," Beth repeated their father's words.

Maggie looked to Beth. She knew it was a low blow to bring a phrase their father had told them since childhood, but they didn't have time to argue. Beth had found herself in a similar situation many a time when she was on her own.

Maggie pulled an extra clip from her pocket and tossed it to Beth, "I don't like this, but I trust you."

Beth caught the clip and smiled. More walkers were closing in on them, but they had a plan now. She didn't feel the same desperation she had a moment ago. Her only concern was to attract as many walkers as she could so she put the clip in her back pocket, having one already tucked inside the other, and brought up her rifle.

"Go off into the woods and loop around behind the vehicle," Beth directed, "I'll stay here and draw them to me. When I see you start getting everyone out, I'll lead them into the woods. It'll be easier for me to lose them there."

"Okay," Maggie exhaled, "Be careful Bethy. I know I didn't do right by you last time we were separated, but I'm gonna' come lookin' for you this time. I swear it."

"Get them back safely Maggie. I'll see you in a bit," Beth reached over and grabbed the hand her sister had extended to her. She gently squeezed twice, code for _I love you_, and then let go and began taking down the walkers closest to them.

The moment Maggie yelled to Rosita what their plan was before taking off into the woods, Beth's sole focus became luring the walkers away. She burned through two clips before she was close enough to the vehicle to get the corpses attention. One by one they turned away from the Blazer and started in her direction. Maggie came up from behind the vehicle and took out the few remaining and then jumped up on the hood of the vehicle and started getting everyone out.

The look Carol sent Beth was filled with understanding and maybe even a hint of respect. Tara was yelling that they needed to help her, Eugene stood next to the distraught woman counting the walkers, and Rosita looked to Maggie. Beth's gazed drifted to Judith resting against Carol's hip and Beth felt a burden lift from her shoulders. Even if she didn't make it back to Terminus, if she died out in the woods and fell prey to the hands of the walkers, the smile on Judith's face was enough. She had kept her promise.

She had absolutely no intention of dying, for she had also given her word to Daryl that she would be back, but seeing everyone safely climbing down from the hood of the Blazer as she led the walkers into the woods was all that mattered. Once they were passed the herd, she would switch her gears into survival mode.

She had at least twenty walkers following her. They had taken out several dozen already. While the odds weren't in her favor, she knew she could lose them in the woods. They were aware of her presence, but if she could put enough space between her and them, she could climb a tree and wait them out. She'd done it before. The only problem would be if they caught whiff of her and huddled around the base of the tree. That had happened several times too.

She was careful as she jogged backwards, making sure she didn't trip over any roots or tree stumps that could lead to an untimely demise, watching as everyone became smaller and smaller in the distance. As soon as she lost sight of Maggie and the rest of the group, she turned and began running.

She was on her own and that was okay. She would make it back before sundown. She had another promise to keep.

…

The sun, which had been high over their head when they had reached the Blazer, now exhibited a rusted-orange color. Her body, sore and fatigued from going on twenty-four hours with no sleep, was beginning to shut down on her.

She hadn't been able to lose all of the walkers in the woods like she had planned. Several continued to stagger behind her no matter how many turns she made and she knew that at the pace she was going, she wasn't going to be able to keep running forever. She had one clip left, which she was saving for an emergency situation, and one bolt; her second still protruding from the back of the walker's head that had been gunning for Maggie.

Struggling to nock her crossbow, her muscles fighting to muster any strength, she loaded the bolt and took aim. The bolt landed cleanly into a walker's forehead and Beth dropped the weapon in favor of pulling her knife. Three walkers remained, each within a few feet of the other. She had to work quickly to finish them off or she risked her body giving out on her.

She rushed the first walker, stabbing it through the temple, and pulling out the blade with relative ease. She then turned to the second walker, and maneuvered away from its reach, and repeated the action. This time, however, the handle followed the blade into the walker's head and stopped where Beth's hand held the weapon.

"Not again," she moaned.

Not wasting any more time trying to pry the blade free, Beth stepped away from the twice dead body, and rounded on the last walker. She still had her gun strapped to her back, but didn't want to risk firing and attracting more walkers. Bringing the weapon in front of her, she yanked the strap free of her person, and quickly ran through her options. The gun felt heavier than it should and Beth knew she was working on borrowed time.

Narrowing her eyes, she held the gun firmly, and aimed for the walker's eye. Plunging the barrel forward as if it were a bayonet, Beth removed a mass of rotting flesh from the side of the walker's face, missing its eye socket. Unfazed, the walker kept approaching, and Beth stumbled right into its chest from the momentum of her swing.

Death filled her nostril and caused her eyes to water. She gagged at the putrid smell and the only thing keeping the walker from taking a chunk out of her was the gun shoved in its face. Trying to break free of its grasp was impossible in her current state. Its hands held her shoulder firmly, digging into the fabric that covered her, and it craned its neck unnaturally in an attempt to devour her.

"You…are _not_…" She took a few steps forward, "going to…make me a liar!"

Beth shoved the walker backwards, causing the creature to trip over the body of the second walker she had killed. As soon as it fell to the ground, Beth stood over top of it and began pounding the stock of her gun mercilessly into its face. Blood and brain matter splattered onto her with every thrust, but she didn't stop. She was angry, she was drained, and she just wanted to lie down and sleep.

Tears blurred her vision as her frustration got the best of her. Quiet sobs escaped her lips and she collapsed onto her knees, unable to hold herself up any longer. She leaned on her gun and let herself cry for the first time since her breakdown at the golf club. She hated the world, hated what she had had to do, hated that people could be so evil, and hated that she felt so much hatred.

Tears spilled down her cheeks, dripped from her chin, and dotted her tattered shirt. She grieved over the lives she had taken. No matter how many times she told herself it was necessary, it didn't ease the guilt. She had so many pent up emotions flowing through her, kept in place by willpower alone, but she was too tired to hold them back any longer. She was alone, she was exhausted, and this was probably the most privacy she would ever get.

After several minutes, her tears dried, leaving only the shuttering breaths that followed. She wiped her face with the back of her hand and sniffled. Taking several calming breaths, she used her gun as a sort of cane and forced herself to stand. She still had several miles to cover and the sun was getting dangerously close to setting.

She staggered over and after several tugs, was able to free her knife from the walker's dead grasp. She then collected her crossbow and bolt, nocking the weapon and keeping it in front of her, and began the long trek back to Terminus.

…

She kept a slow, steady stride; not having the energy to cover the distance at any other pace. The sun was more than halfway below the horizon and while Beth would usually find the twilight breathtaking, it only made her anxious.

She was in familiar territory, recognizing that she was almost to the place where Rick had suggested they cut through the woods on their first visit to Terminus, and she pushed herself to keep moving. Her body ached and every step she took felt like she was pulling a thousand pounds behind her.

When the chain link fence came into view, Beth felt her apprehension rise. She had left Terminus the moment things were beginning to settle down, but she had no idea what to expect upon her return. She knew that everyone she cared about was inside those brick walls and she wasn't sure she could endure losing everyone again if things had taken a turn for the worse while she had been away.

Opening the first gate and shutting it behind her and re-securing the chain, Beth understood what Glenn meant by how open the entrance was. She and Maggie had exited through this exact gate, but she had been so focused on getting to the Blazer that she hadn't paid much mind to the space between the fence and the doorway.

Reaching the second gate, she rested her forehead against the cool metal. Taking a deep breath she pushed the gate open. With her crossbow raised, she cautiously walked around the corner of the building into the courtyard. It was empty now, save a few people bustling around, and Beth wasn't sure what to think.

"Beth?" A voice called out to her.

She looked to see Michonne approaching her. She didn't have the energy to answer. She was too ridiculously exhausted. Instead all she managed was a small smile and formed a single thought.

_Daryl is going to be so pissed._

**A/N:** For those who didn't catch my reference, the Theory of Natural Selection was devised by Charles Darwin. The phrase "survival of the fittest" stems from this theory.

Some good sister bonding time! This chapter was fun to write! Let me know what you guys think! XOXO


End file.
